What are Fables?
Fables are one type of folklore. The began as oral storytelling, often serving two purposes: entertainment and education. Fables are short stories with moral or lessons. The lessons may be stated at the beginning, middle, or the end of the tale. Sometimes, they are less obvious. The characters are usually animals, but they can also be objects (tree, sun) or people. The plot is simple, the characters few, and the conflicts are usually limited to a single problem. However, the meaning is very complex. Beneath every fable is another story being told about the behavior of humans. Let's read some fables to explore the hidden meaning and the lessons Aesop is teaching us. Some fables are told in prose, like a story. Others are told in verse, a poem. And some, like the panchatantra tales from India, are sometimes told in both prose and verse.
Fables are one type of folklore. The began as oral storytelling, often serving two purposes: entertainment and education. Fables are short stories with moral or lessons. The lessons may be stated at the beginning, middle, or the end of the tale. Sometimes, they are less obvious. The characters are usually animals, but they can also be objects (tree, sun) or people. The plot is simple, the characters few, and the conflicts are usually limited to a single problem. However, the meaning is very complex. Beneath every fable is another story being told about the behavior of humans. Let's read some fables to explore the hidden meaning and the lessons Aesop is teaching us. Some fables are told in prose, like a story. Others are told in verse, a poem. And some, like the panchatantra tales from India, are sometimes told in both prose and verse.