Märchen sind zwar länger als Fabeln, aber immer noch recht überschaubare Kurzgeschichten und den meisten KIndern und Jugendlichen aus ihrer Kindheit wohlbekannt. Im Vergleich zur Fabel haben sie folgende Merkmale:
| Features | Fairy Tale | Fable |
length | usually longer than fables and short stories | usually very short |
realism | supernatural elements: miracles, fantastic creatures and abilities | more realistic than fairy tales (despite the speaking animals) |
characters | mostly people, sometimes animals | mostly speaking animals representing human characters |
characterization | distinct contrast between good & evil | flat (not complex) human characters |
ending | happy ending | more or less realistic (open?) ending
moral: message to readers |
language | old, fixed, stereotype, repetitive | natural, mostly contemporary |
