What is Fable:
The fable It is a type of short fictional story that has a didactic and moralizing intention. For this reason, it is usually accompanied by a moral, that is, an explicit teaching on the interpretation of the story.
This literary genre serves to disseminate and teach values, as well as to sanction behaviors that are antisocial.
It is common for fables to be aimed at children due to their didactic nature. When this occurs we speak of children’s fable.
The fable is a very old genre, which before writing was transmitted through oral tradition. In Greece we find the oldest written records, compiled in the famous work Fables from Aesop.
The word fable comes from Latin fable, which has the same origin as “speech”. Hence the term is related to the act of telling stories, usually invented, that is, fictional.
Stories from classical mythology are also called fables. Fable can also refer to a false story, an invention, a rumor or gossip.
Characteristics of the fable
Among the most characteristic features of fables, we can mention the following:
They are popular; They are brief; They can be communicated in verse or prose; The order of the story is linear, without time jumps; They are educational or moralizing; They are timeless; The characters represent archetypes; Animal characters or humanized (personified) objects predominate. although there are also fables with human and divine characters.
See also Characteristics of the fable.
Structure of the fable
In general terms, the following parts of the fable or story structure are known:
Initial situation; Conflict; Outcome or solution; Moral (this can come before or after the story).
Elements of the fable
The fable has the following elements:
Third-person narrator, who also acts as a sanctioner; Characters (human, divine, animals or animated objects); Events.
Types of fable
There are various types of fables. Let’s get to know the most widespread:
Depending on the type of story.
Situation Fables: They are those fables in which a character faces a dilemma alone, while another who observes him sanctions the scene without participating in it.
Agonal Fables: It consists of three moments. First, the initial situation where two characters; second, the agon or evaluation where each character expresses their position; third, the teaching or conclusion. For example, The man and the snakeby Aesop.
Etiological fables: They are those fables of very short duration, which are headed or ended with a moral. For example, Quadrupeds and birdsby Aesop.
Depending on the type of characters:
Mythological fables: starring gods. They are usually related to myths. For example, Fable of Pyramus and Thisbeby Luis de Góngora.
Human fables: starring human characters. For example, The lying shepherdby Aesop.
Animal Fables: starring humanized animals. For example, The crow and the foxby Aesop.
Fables of the plant kingdom: They are those carried out by plants. For example, Fir and hawthornby Aesop.
Fables of inanimate objects or inert beings: those where objects are animated. For example, The nail and the wallby Aesop.
Examples of fable
There are many examples that we can mention of fables. Some of them are still part of popular culture and are widely known. Among Aesop’s most widespread fables we can mention The lion and the mouse, The fox and the grapes and The hare and the Tortoise.
In the story of The hare and the TortoiseFor example, a hare and a tortoise compete in a race. The hare, overconfident in its natural running abilities, dawdles along the way and gets careless. The turtle, less agile, ends up winning the race due to its perseverance and discipline.
Fables were very important in medieval and Renaissance literature, as well as in the Spanish Golden Age. For example, Fable of Polyphemus and Galateawritten by Luis de Góngora.
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