Fable 11491 223893432 2008-07-06T11:10:36Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{otheruses4||other uses||a comparison of fable with other kinds of stories|Traditional stories}} {{TOCright}}A '''fable''' is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features [[animal]]s, [[plant]]s, [[inanimate|inanimate objects]], or [[nature|forces of nature]] which are [[anthropomorphized]] (given [[human]] qualities), and that illustrates a [[moral]] lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed [[explicit]]ly in a pithy [[maxim (saying)|maxim]]. A fable differs from a '''[[parable]]''' in that the latter ''excludes'' animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of humankind. The descriptive definition of "fable" given above has not always been closely adhered to. In the [[King James Version]] of the [[New Testament]], "''μύθος''" ("''[[myth]]os''") was rendered by the [[translator]]s as "fable"<ref>For example, in ''[[First Epistle to Timothy|First Timothy]]'', "neither give heed to fables...", and "refuse profane and old wives' fables..." (1 Tim 1:4 and 4:4, respectively).</ref> in ''[[First Epistle to Timothy|First]]'' and ''[[Second Epistle to Timothy|Second Timothy]]'', in ''[[Titus]]'' and in ''[[First Epistle of Peter|First Peter]]''. ==Definitions== [[Image:Aesopnurembergchronicle.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Aesop]].]] [[Image:Jean-de-la-fontaine.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Jean de la Fontaine]].]] The word "fable" comes from the [[Latin]] "''fabula''" (a "story"), itself derived from "''fari''" ("to speak"). In a [[pejorative]] sense, a "fable" may be a deliberately invented or falsified account of an event or circumstance. Similarly, a [[liar|''non''-authorial person]] who, wittingly or not, tells "[[tall tale]]s," may be termed a "[[confabulation|confabulator]]." In its original sense, however, "fable" denotes a brief, succinct story that is meant to impart a moral lesson. An author of fables is termed a "'''fabulist'''," and the word "'''fabulous'''," strictly speaking, "pertains to a fable or fables." In recent decades, however, "fabulous" has come frequently to be used in the quite different meaning of "excellent" or "outstanding". ==Characteristics== Fables can be described as a [[didactic]] mode of literature. That is, whether a fable has been handed down from generation to generation as [[oral literature]], or constructed by a literary tale-teller, its purpose is to impart a [[lesson]] or [[Value (personal and cultural)|value]], or to give sage [[advice]]. Fables also provide opportunities to [[laughter|laugh]] at human [[folly]], when they supply examples of behaviors to be avoided rather than emulated. Fables frequently have as their central characters ''[[animal]]s'' that are given [[anthropomorph]]ic characteristics such as the ability to reason and speak. In [[classical antiquity|antiquity]], [[Aesop]] presented a wide range of animals as [[protagonist]]s, including ''[[The Tortoise and the Hare]]'' which famously engage in a race against each other; and, in another classic fable, a fox which rejects grapes that are out of reach, as probably being sour ("[[sour grapes]]"). [[Old French|Medieval French]] ''[[fabliau]]x'' might feature [[Reynard|Reynard the Fox]], a [[trickster]] figure, and offer a subtext mildly subversive of the [[feudal]] social order. Similarly, the 18th-century Polish fabulist [[Ignacy Krasicki]] employs [[animal]]s as the title actors in his striking verse fable, "[[Fables and Parables#The Lamb and the Wolves|The Lamb and the Wolves]]." Krasicki uses ''[[plant]]s'' the same way in "[[Fables and Parables#The Violet and the Grass|The Violet and the Grass]]." [[Personification]] may also be extended to ''[[inanimate|things inanimate]]'', as in Krasicki's "[[Fables and Parables#Bread and Sword|Bread and Sword]]." His "[[Fables and Parables#The Stream and the River|The Stream and the River]]," again, offers an example of personified ''[[Nature|forces of nature]]''. ''[[Gods|Divinities]]'' may also appear in fables as active agents. ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' feature most of the Greek [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]], including [[Zeus]] and [[Hermes]]. ==History== [[Image:Ignacy Krasicki 1.JPG|thumb|100px|[[Ignacy Krasicki]].]] [[Image:Krylov summer garden.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Ivan Krylov]].]] [[Image:Abierce 1866.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Ambrose Bierce]].]] The fable is one of the most enduring forms of [[folk tales|folk literature]], spread abroad, modern researchers agree,<ref>''Enzyklopädie des Märchens'' (1977), see "Fabel", "Äsopica" etc. </ref> less by literary anthologies than by oral transmission. Fables can be found in the literature of almost every country. The varying corpus denoted ''Aesopica'' or ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' includes most of the best-known western fables, which are attributed to the [[legendary]] [[Aesop]], supposed to have been a Greek slave around [[550 B.C.]]. When [[Babrius]] set down fables from the ''Aesopica'' in verse for a [[Hellenistic]] Prince "Alexander," he expressly stated at the head of Book II that this type of "myth" that Aesop had introduced to the "sons of the Hellenes" had been an invention of "Syrians" from the time of "[[Ninos]]" (personifying [[Nineveh]] to Greeks) and [[Belos]] ("ruler").<ref>Burkert 1992:121</ref> Several parallel animal fables in [[Sumerian]] and [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] are among those that E. Ebeling introduced to modern Western readers;<ref>Ebeling, ''Die Babylonishe Fabel und ihre Bedeutung für die Literaturgeschichte'' (1931).</ref> there are comparable fables from Egypt's [[Middle Kingdom]],<ref>E. Brunner-Traut, ''Altägyptische Tiergeschichte und Fabel'' (1970)</ref> and Hebrew fables such as the "king of trees" in [[Book of Judges]] 9 and "the thistle and the cedar tree" in ''[[II Kings]]'' 14:9.<ref>Both noted by [[Walter Burkert]], ''The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Early Archaic Greek Culture'' (1992), p 121 note 4.</ref> Many other familiar ones include “The Crow and the Pitcher,” “The Hare and the Tortoise,” and “The Lion and the Mouse.” Hundreds of fables were composed in [[History of India|ancient India]] during the [[1st millennium BC|first millennium BC]], often as [[Story within a story|stories within]] [[frame story|frame stories]]. These included [[Vishnu Sarma]]'s ''[[Panchatantra]]'', the ''[[Hitopadesha]]'', ''[[Baital Pachisi|Vikram and The Vampire]]'', and [[Syntipas]]' ''[[Seven Wise Masters]]'', which were collections of fables that were later influential throughout the [[Old World]]. Earlier [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epics]] such as [[Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa|Vyasa's]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and [[Valmiki]]'s ''[[Ramayana]]'' also contained fables within the main story, often as [[side story|side stories]] or [[back-story]]. Some scholars have argued that these fables were influenced by similar [[Greece|Greek]] and [[Near East]]ern ones.<ref>Ben E. Perry, "Introduction", p. xix, in ''Babrius and Phaedrus'' (1965)</ref> [[Epicharmus of Kos]] and Phormis are reported as having been among the first to invent comic fables.<ref>P.W. Buckham, p. 245</ref> Fables had a further long tradition through the [[Middle Ages]], and became part of European literature. During the 17th century, the [[France|French]] fabulist [[Jean de La Fontaine]] (1621–1695) saw the soul of the fable in the '''moral''' — 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 adult literature. For instance, [[James Thurber]] used the ancient style in his books, ''Fables for Our Time'' and ''The Beast in Me and Other Animals''. [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Animal Farm]]'' satirizes [[Stalinist Communism]] in particular, and [[totalitarianism]] in general, in the guise of animal fable. [[Felix Salten]]'s ''[[Bambi]]'' is a ''[[Bildungsroman]]'' — a story of a [[protagonist]]'s coming-of-age — cast in the form of a fable. ==Classic fabulists== [[Image:James Thurber NYWTS.jpg|thumb|100px|[[James Thurber]].]] * [[Aesop]] (mid-6th century BCE), author of ''[[Aesop's Fables]]''. * [[Vishnu Sarma]] (ca. 200 BCE), author of the [[anthropomorphic]] political treatise and fable collection, the ''[[Panchatantra]]''. * [[Bidpai]] (ca. 200 BCE), author of [[Sanskrit]] ([[Hindu]]) and [[Pali]] ([[Buddhist]]) animal fables in verse and prose. * [[Syntipas]] (ca. 100 BCE), [[India]]n [[philosopher]], reputed author of a collection of [[tale]]s known in [[Europe]] as ''[[Seven Wise Masters|The Story of the Seven Wise Masters]]''. * [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]] (Hyginus, [[Latin]] author, native of [[Spain]] or [[Alexandria]], ca. 64 BCE - 17 C.E.), author of ''Fabulae''. * [[Phaedrus]] (15 BCE – 50 CE), [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[fabulist]], by birth a [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonian]]. * [[Walter of England]] c.1175 * [[Marie de France]] (12th century). * [[Berechiah ha-Nakdan]] (Berechiah the Punctuator, or [[Grammarian]], 13th century), author of [[Jewish]] fables adapted from [[Aesop]]'s Fables. * [[Robert Henryson]] ([[Scotland|Scottish]], 15th century), author of ''[[The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian]]''. * [[Leonardo da Vinci]] ([[Italy|Italian]], 1452 – 1519). * [[Biernat of Lublin]] ([[Poland|Polish]], 1465? &ndash; after 1529). * [[Jean de La Fontaine]] ([[France|French]], 1621 – 95). * [[John Gay]] ([[England|English]]) (1685 – 1732) * [[Ignacy Krasicki]] ([[Poland|Polish]], 1735 &ndash; 1801). * [[Dositej Obradović]] ([[Serbia]]n, 1742? – 1811). * [[Félix María de Samaniego]] ([[Spain|Spanish]], 1745 – 1801), best known for "The Ant and the Cicade." * [[Tomás de Iriarte]] ([[Spain|Spanish]], 1750 – 91). * [[Ivan Krylov]] ([[Russia]]n, 1769 – 1844). ==Modern fabulists== * [[Leo Tolstoy]] (1828 – 1910). * [[Nico Maniquis]] (1834 – 1912). * [[Ambrose Bierce]] (1842 – ?1914). * [[Sholem Aleichem]] (1859 – 1916). * [[George Ade]] (1866 – 1944), ''Fables in Slang'', etc. * [[Don Marquis]] (1878 – 1937), author of the fables of [[archy and mehitabel]]. * [[Franz Kafka]] (1883 – 1924). * [[Damon Runyon]] (1884 – 1946). * [[James Thurber]] (1894 – 1961), ''Fables For Our Time''. * [[George Orwell]] (1903 – 50). * [[Dr. Seuss]] (1904 – 91) * [[Isaac Bashevis Singer]] (1904 – 91). * [[José Saramago]] (born 1922). * [[Italo Calvino]] (1923 – 85), "If on a winter's night a traveler," etc. * [[Arnold Lobel]] (1933 – 87), author of ''Fables'', winner 1981 [[Caldecott Medal]]. * [[Ramsay Wood]] (born 1943), author of ''Kalila and Dimna: Fables of Friendship and Betrayal''. * [[Bill Willingham]] (born 1956), author of ''[[Fables (Vertigo)|Fables]]'' graphic novels. * Acrid Hermit (born 1962), author of ''http://www.createspace.com/3340070" Misty Forest Fables. ''isbn 9781605859309 ==Notable fables== * ''[[Tales, Jataka|The Jataka Tales]]'' ** ''[[The Sky Is Falling]]'' * ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' by [[Aesop]] ** ''[[The Boy Who Cried Wolf]]'' * ''[[Panchatantra]]'' by [[Vishnu Sarma]] (also known as ''[[Kalila and Dimna]]'', ''[[Kalilag and Damnag]]'', ''The Lights of Canopus'', ''[[Fables of Bidpai]]'', and ''[[The Morall Philosophie of Doni]]'') * ''[[Baital Pachisi]]'' (''Vikram and The Vampire'') * ''[[Hitopadesha]]'' * ''[[Seven Wise Masters]]'' by [[Syntipas]] * ''[[Fables and Parables]]'' by [[Ignacy Krasicki]] * ''[[Emperor's New Clothes (fable)|The Emperor's New Clothes]]'' * ''[[Stone Soup]]'' * ''[[The Little Engine that Could]]'' * ''[[Jonathan Livingston Seagull]]'' * ''[[Watership Down]]'' * ''[[The Lion King]]'' * ''The Fox and the Cock'' by [[James Thurber]] * ''[[Animal Farm]]'' by [[George Orwell]] ==See also== * [[Allegory]] * [[Anthropomorphism]] * [[Apologue]] * [[Apologia]] * [[Fairy tale]] * [[Fantastique]] * [[Ghost story]] * [[Parable]] * [[Proverb]] ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== *{{cite book | last = Buckham | first = Philip Wentworth | title = Theatre of the Greeks | origyear = 1827 }} * [http://www.studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=fable&section=0&translation=kjv&oq=&sr=1 King James Bible;] ''New Testament (authorised)''. ==External links== * [http://animals.raconter.net Animal Symbolism] List of frequently described animals and their characteristics * [http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html The Dragon-Tyrant] * [http://www.lefavole.org/en/ Fables - Collection and guide to fables for children] * [http://www.communitywiki.org/odd/Imaginexus/ Imaginexus] A collection of interconnected stories that anyone can edit * [http://beastfablesociety.org/ Beast Fable Society] An academic society focused on fables and related genres [[Category:Fables|Fables]] [[Category:Literary devices playing with meaning]] [[Category:Persuasion techniques]] [[ay:Yatichawini jawari]] [[bs:Basna]] [[br:Fablenn]] [[bg:Басня]] [[ca:Faula]] [[cv:Юптару]] [[cs:Bajka]] [[da:Fabel]] [[de:Fabel]] [[et:Valm]] [[el:Παραμύθι]] [[es:Fábula]] [[eo:Fablo]] [[fa:حکایت]] [[fr:Fable]] [[ko:우화]] [[ia:Fabula]] [[it:Favola]] [[he:משל]] [[lt:Pasakėčia]] [[hu:Fabula]] [[nl:Fabel]] [[ja:寓話]] [[no:Fabel]] [[nn:Fabel]] [[nrm:Fabl'ye]] [[nds:Fabel]] [[pl:Bajka]] [[pt:Fábula]] [[ro:Fabulă]] [[ru:Басня]] [[scn:Fàula]] [[simple:Fable]] [[sk:Bájka]] [[sl:Basen]] [[sr:Басна]] [[sh:Basna]] [[fi:Faabeli]] [[sv:Fabel]] [[th:นิทาน]] [[vi:Ngụ ngôn]] [[tr:Öykünce]] [[uk:Байка]] [[wa:Fåve di djåzantès biesses]] [[yi:משל]] [[zh:寓言]]