Tall Story Vs. Historical Fiction

In the English writing there are many different genres. Some are easily recognizable and are able to be differentiated; others are not so simple. Never the less, all of them have differing characteristics that make that genre special. Tall tale and historical fiction are just two of the many choices. They both have many properties that are similar and many traits that are diverse, shown through the stories “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, by Ambrose Bierce, and “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, by Mark Twain.
To begin, historical fiction and tall tales have many comparable traits. First, they both make the reader want to learn more about the topic. Historical fiction sets the story in a real place and time and a lot of
In tall tales there is usually a celebrity or famous person randomly appearing. It just makes the story that more out of reach. Tall tales also are accompanied by a special power or object to help them accomplish their task. In Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, Smiley, the main character, has a special power that helps him complete his task: luck. “But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner” (Twain 4). With everything that he did, he would win. This power helped him up until it was perforated by a cheater. Smiley might not have won his last bet, but he did learn some humility and how much to appreciate when he does win. Unlike tall tales, historical fiction’s stories usually have the characters be more relatable. Not many normal people have special powers or objects that help them with their daily tasks, so this genre’s characters are a little more relatable. It’s fun to dream about princess and talking helpers, but characters formed by normal traits doing normal things, in a time that is familiar, is more approachable and therefore, sometimes, more liked. Ambrose Bierce’s story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, demonstrates the likeability of the character in part because of how normal he seems. “The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good- a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting crock coat. He wore a moustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers” (Bierce 1). This man sounds like a regular guy. He sounds like someone who would still be around today; he has no special or outstanding features or talents. The only reason he even has a story to his name is