E. Style
The language is typically economical, with a minimal amount of description and a heavy reliance on formulaic patterns, e.g., conventional openings and closings.
Repetitious phrases are common; they supply a rhythmical quality desirable in oral tales and perhaps aided in memorization the stories.
Dialogue is frequently used; it captures the nature of the character speaking.
Folktales often use a technique – stylized intensification, which occurs when, with each repetition, an element is further exaggerated or intensified. This has the effect of increasing the drama.
Folktale motifs (i.e., recurring thematic elements ) are quite prevalent; they may have served as mnemonic devices when the tales were still passed on orally. Examples of common motifs include journeys through dark forests, enchanted transformations, magical cures or other spells, encounters with helpful animals or mysterious creatures, foolish bargains, impossible tasks, clever deceptions, and so on.
Some folktales have powerful visual images that we can readily identify, such as a glass slipper, a bean stalk, a spinning wheel, a poisoned apple, a red riding hood, a magic lamp, and a blue bird. These stark visual elements give the tales their enduring strength.
Many folktale motifs (i.e., recurring thematic elements) are examples of magic: helpful animals , enchanted transformations, granted wishes, etc. The magic, when it appears, is always greeted by the characters with matter-of- fastness, characters acknowledge magic as a normal part of life without surprise or disbelief. This stylistic feature distances the folktale from reality, and it provides an important distinction between folk literature and literary/modern fantasy.
Folktales often lift their heroes and heroines to higher and more refined levels where they remain beautiful, noble, and pure through the process of sublimation