histoires

Histoires is the French word for stories or tales, the plural of histoire. The term originates from Old French histoire, from Latin historia, and in French it refers to narratives across media such as novels, oral storytelling, film, and comics. In narrative studies, histoire can denote the content or sequence of events, while récit refers to the act of narration; however, in everyday use histoires can mean the stories themselves or collections of tales.

In literature, histoires commonly appear as a title for short-story collections or anthologies, signaling a focus on narrative variety. It is also used in film, television, and children's literature to evoke recollection, fables, or folklore. When used as a generic term rather than a title, histoires describe stories told within a larger work, or the practice of storytelling within a culture.

Culturally, histoires reflect the central place of narrative in human communication, serving to preserve memory, share experience, and entertain. The term's simplicity and universality make it a flexible label across genres, from realist prose to mythic folklore. For scholars and readers alike, histoires can function as an entry point to discussions of storytelling practices in French-speaking contexts.