Fable
For other uses of the term or its plural, see Fable (disambiguation).In its strict sense a
fable is a
short story or
folk tale embodying a
moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a
maxim. "Fable" comes from Latin
fabula (meaning 'conversation', 'narrative', 'tale') and shares a root with
faber, "maker, artificer." Thus, though a fable may be conversational in tone, the understanding from the outset is that it is an invention, a fiction. A fable may be set in verse, though it is usually prose. In its pejorative sense, a fable is a deliberately invented or falsified account.
A fable often, but not necessarily, makes
metaphorical use of an
animal as its central character.
Medieval French fabliaux might feature
Reynard the
fox, a
trickster figure, and offer a subtext that was mildly subversive of the
feudal order of society. A familiar theme in Slavic fables is an encounter between a wily peasant and the
Devil. But the device of personification may be extended to anything inanimate, such as trees, flowers, stones, streams and winds.
In some usage, "fable" has been extended to include stories with
mythical or
legendary elements. The word "
fabulous" strictly means "pertaining to fables," although in recent decades its metaphorical meanings have been taken to be literal meanings, i.e. "legendary," "mythical," "exaggerated," "incredible." An author of fables is called a
fabulist.
Fables have long been told. The first notable fabulist was
Aesop, a supposed Greek slave ca. 600 B.C. Although no solid evidence exists proving Aesop was a real person, some consider him the father of the genre. Hundreds of fables have been attributed to him, though most may have been told earlier. Fables had a further long tradition through the
Middle Ages, and became part of European literature. During the
17th century, the
French fabulist
Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) saw the soul of the fable in the
moral â€" a rule of behavior. Starting with the Aesopian pattern, La Fontaine set out to satirize the court, the church, the rising
bourgeoisie, indeed the entire human scene of his time. La Fontaine's model was subsequently emulated by
Poland's
Ignacy Krasicki (
1735-
1801) and
Russia's
Ivan Krylov (
1769-
1844).
In modern times, the fable has been trivialized in children's books. Yet it has also been fully adapted to modern literature. For instance, James Thurber used the ancient style in his book,
Fables for Our Time; and in a book,
The Beast in me, unmasked by fables.
George Orwell's
Animal Farm satirizes
Stalinist Communism in particular, and
totalitarianism in general, by using the animal story.
Epicharmus of Kos and Phormis are reported as having been among the first to invent comic fables.
[P.W. Buckham, p. 245]*
Aesop*
Vishnu Sarma*
Phaedrus*
Hyginus, author of
Fabulae.
*
Berechiah ha-Nakdan (Berechiah the Punctuator,
1200s).
*
Marie de France*
Biernat of Lublin (
Polish,
1465? – after
1529).
*
Jean de La Fontaine (
1621-
1695)
*
Ignacy Krasicki (
Polish,
1735 –
1801).
*
Ivan Krylov (
1769-
1844)
*
James Thurber*
George Orwell*
George Ade, "Fables in Slang" and other titles
*
Don Marquis, author of the fables of
archy and mehitabel*
James Thurber (1894-1961),
Fables For Our Time.
*
Damon Runyon*
Sholem Aleichem*
Panchatantra*
Stone Soup*
The Little Engine that Could*
Jonathan Livingston Seagull*
Watership Down*
The Lion King*
Emperor's New Clothes (fable)*
Fables and Parables by
Ignacy Krasicki*
The Fox and the Cock by
James Thurber*
Animal Farm by
George Orwell*
The Boy Who Cried Wolf*
Allegory*
Anthropomorphism*
Apologue*
Apologia *
Fairy tale*
Fantastique*
Ghost story*
Parable*
Urban Legend*
Fable (video game)* Philip Wentworth Buckham,
Theatre of the Greeks, 1827.
*
Fables & Moral Stories Learn reading comprehension using fables and moral stories.
*
The Dragon-Tyrant*
Fables - Collection and guide to fables for children*
Imaginexus A collection of interconnected stories that anyone can edit
*
"The Yosemite Adventure of Spotty Bat", 2005, A fable for all ages about a Spotted bat.
