History Main / Fable

* Creator/{{Aesop}}

[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/AesopsFables https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_tortoise_and_the_hare___project_gutenberg_etext_19994.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:350:[-"The Hare and the Tortoise", by Milo Winter-]]]

* ''Literature/SitioDoPicapauAmarelo'': Besides the book ''Fábulas'', in which [[FramingDevice Mrs. Benta tells several classic fables and some of her own to the folks of the farm]], some of the chapters from ''Reinações de Narizinho'', the first novel of the series, involve the kids using the Pirlimpimpim Dust to travel to the Land of Fables. There, they witness famous stories and rescue the donkey from the fable "The Animals Sick of the Plague" from being killed by the King Lion and the council of animals, welcoming him to go back with them to live in the farm afterwards. The Talking Donkey then becomes a somewhat recurring character in the franchise, being named "Counselor" by Emília in the following book ''Viagem ao Céu'' due to the former's words of wisdom.

Common characters from fables can appear in FairyTaleFreeForAll settings, as well as in a FracturedFairyTale. If you are searching for the videogame series, check [[VideoGame/{{Fable}} here]]. For the comic book, see ComicBook/{{Fables}}, and for the manga, see Manga/TheFable.

A fable is a succinct, allegorical short tale in prose or verse that conveys, highlights and illustrates a moral lesson, often by using anthropomorphized [[BeastFable animals]], plants, [[AnimateInanimateObject inanimate objects]], fantastical creatures and forces of nature as main characters (differently from parables, which usually only use people). The term 'apologue' can also be used to refer to a fable, although some definitions consider it to be more focused on the moral than on the narrative elements. The one who writes or tells fables is called a fabulist.

The plot of a fable often consists on a simple and concise narrative with a third-person narrator and accessible language, frequently concluding with a maxim resuming and explicitly stating the values arised from the story (called the moral) that often can be or become a popular saying; several popular expressions come from these folk tales, such as "sour grapes" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/005.html The Fox and the Grapes]]"), "slow and steady wins the race" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/025.html The Hare and the Tortoise]]"), "look before you leap" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/019.html The Fox and the Goat]]"), "to cry wolf" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/043.html The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf]]") and so on. Keep in mind, however, that while the intention of teaching is clear, the exact meaning of the moral in fables [[AlternateAesopInterpretation might be open to interpretation and may change according to the point of view]], especially since the sayings explicitly resuming the lesson were sometimes added [[NewerThanTheyThink long after the original fables were written]].

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, present in almost every country as amusing and humorous ways of teaching or reflecting on truth and morality, satirizing aspects of humanity, and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Like fairy tales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wide age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well. However, they entered the school system and became more associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature.

While both are traditional stories, fables traditionally differ from {{Fairy Tale}}s by focusing on delivering the final life lesson, whereas fairy tales don't necessarily teach clear morals, or at least don't highlight their lesson as much or as explicitly. Similarly, they are often different from {{Legend}}s in that they are timeless and unconnected from specific locations and cultures, being able to be understood through several places and time periods far removed from their origins and still remain relevant. That said, the line between fable, fairytale and other folktales is blurred, and the term fable has also been used for any fantastic, ludic or imaginative narrative in general.

The plot of a fable often consists on a simple and concise narrative with a third-person narrator and accessible language, frequently concluding with a maxim resuming and explicitly stating the values arised from the story (called the moral) that often can be or become a popular saying; several popular expressions come from these folk tales, such as "sour grapes" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/005.html The Fox and the Grapes]]"), "slow and steady wins the race" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/025.html The Hare and the Tortoise]]"), "look before you leap" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/019.html The Fox and the Goat]]"), "to cry wolf" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/043.html The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf]]") and so on. Keep in mind, however, that while the intention of teaching is clear, the exact meaning of the moral in fables [[AlternateAesopInterpretation might be open to interpretation and may change according to the point of view]], especially since the sayings explicitly resuming the lesson were often added [[NewerThanTheyThink long after the original fables were written]].

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, , present in almost every country as amusing and humorous ways of teaching or reflecting on truth and morality, satirizing aspects of humanity, and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Like fairy tales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wide age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well. However, they entered the school system and became more associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature.

A fable is a succint, allegorical short tale in prose or verse that conveys, highlights and illustrates a moral lesson, often by using anthropomorphized [[BeastFable animals]], plants, [[AnimateInanimateObject inanimate objects]], fantastical creatures and forces of nature as main characters (differently from parables, which usually only use people). The term 'apologue' can also be used to refer to a fable, although some definitions consider it to be more focused on the moral than on the narrative elements. The one who writes or tells fables is called a fabulist.

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, present in almost every country as amusing, humorous ways of teaching or reflecting about truth and morality, satirizing aspects of humanity and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Much like fairytales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wider age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well --, but entered the school system and got more associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature. In the West, the most influential fabulists are the Greek [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop]] -- considered to be the main definer of the genre as we know it -- and the French [[Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine La Fontaine]] -- who retold and popularized several fables from Western and Eastern sources in the Modern age, including Aesop's. Fables from India also had great global importance, with the ''Literature/{{Panchatantra}}'' being translated to countless languages and influencing literature all across Eurasia. In Feudal Japan, fables can be seen among literature such as the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon shoki'', reaching their height during the UsefulNotes/KamakuraShogunate.

A fable is a succint, allegorical short tale in prose or verse that conveys, highlights and illustrates a moral lesson, often by using anthropomorphized [[BeastFable animals]], plants, [[AnimateInanimateObject inanimate objects]], fantastical creatures and forces of nature as main characters (differently from parables, which only use people). A fable can also be called an apologue, though some definitions consider the latter to be more focused on the moral than in the narrative elements. The one who writes or tells fables is called a fabulist.

* Many of the ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies'' were adapted from fables, such as "WesternAnimation/TheTortoiseAndTheHare", "Literature/TheGrasshopperAndTheAnts", ''WesternAnimation/TheWiseLittleHen'' and "WesternAnimation/TheCountryCousin".

* Many of the ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies'' were adapted from fables, such as "WesternAnimation/TheTortoiseAndTheHare", "Literature/TheGrasshopperAndTheAnts", and "WesternAnimation/TheCountryCousin".

A fable is a succint, allegorical short tale in prose or verse that conveys, highlights and illustrates a moral lesson and criticizes aspects of human nature, frequently by using anthropomorphized [[BeastFable animals]], plants, [[AnimateInanimateObject inanimate objects]], fantastical creatures and forces of nature as main characters (differently from parables, which only use people). A fable can also be called an apologue, though some definitions consider the latter to be more focused on the moral than in the narrative elements. The one who writes or tells fables is called a fabulist.

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, present in almost every country as amusing, humorous ways of teaching or reflecting about truth and morality and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Much like fairytales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wider age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well --, but entered the school system and got more associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature. In the West, the most influential fabulists are the Greek [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop]] -- considered to be the main definer of the genre as we know it -- and the French [[Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine La Fontaine]] -- who retold and popularized several fables from Western and Eastern sources in the Modern age, including Aesop's. Fables from India also had great global importance, with the ''Literature/{{Panchatantra}}'' being translated to countless languages and influencing literature all across Eurasia. In Feudal Japan, fables can be seen among literature such as the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon shoki'', reaching their height during the UsefulNotes/KamakuraShogunate.

While both are traditional stories, fables traditionally differ from {{Fairy Tale}}s by focusing on delivering the final life lesson, whereas fairy tales don't necessarily teach morals, or at least don't highlight their specific lesson as much or as explicitly. Similarly, they are often different from {{Legend}}s in that they are timeless and unconnected from specific locations and cultures, being able to be understood through several places and time periods far removed from their origins and remain relevant. That said, the line between fable, fairytale and other folktales is blurred, and the term fable has also been used for any fantastic, ludic or imaginative narrative in general.

* BeastFable: Fables are famous for usually featuring animal characters with human qualities, thus using [[AnimalStereotypes the traits associated with them and their roles in nature]] to further convey the moral: [[CunningLikeAFox the fox is cunning]], the [[KingOfBeasts lion]] and the tiger are mighty, [[SavageWolves the wolf is vicious]], [[DiligentDraftAnimal the ox is strong]], the ant is hard-working etc.. This allows fables to save text, since the symbolism already associated with specific animals means the story can reduce the amount of description and make itself briefer.
* NamelessNarrative: Being meant to be universal and straightforward tales, rarely do fables name any of their characters, who are instead called after their species or role.

A fable is a succint, allegorical short tale in prose or verse that conveys, highlights and illustrates a moral lesson, frequently by using anthropomorphized [[BeastFable animals]], plants, [[AnimateInanimateObject inanimate objects]], fantastical creatures and forces of nature as main characters (differently from parables, which only use people). A fable can also be called an apologue, though some definitions consider the latter to be more focused on the moral than in the narrative elements. The one who writes or tells fables is called a fabulist.

The plot of a fable often consists on a simple and concise narrative with a third-person narrator and accessible language, frequently concluding with a maxim resuming and explicitly stating the values arised from the story (called the moral) that often can be or become a popular saying; several popular expressions come from these folk tales, such as "sour grapes" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/005.html The Fox and the Grapes]]"), "slow and steady wins the race" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/025.html The Hare and the Tortoise]]"), "look before you leap" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/019.html The Fox and the Goat]]"), "to cry wolf" ("[[https://read.gov/aesop/043.html The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf / The Boy Who Cried Wolf]]") and so on. Keep in mind, however, that while the intention of teaching is clear, the exact meaning of the moral in fables [[AlternateAesopInterpretation might be open to interpretation and may change according to the point of view]], especially since the sayings explicitly resuming the lesson were often added [[NewerThanTheyThink long after the original fables were written]].

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, present in almost every country as amusing, humorous ways of teaching or reflecting about truth and morality and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Much like fairytales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wider age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well --, but entered the school system and got associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature. In the West, the most influential fabulists are [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop]] -- considered to be the main definer of the genre as we know it -- and [[Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine La Fontaine]] -- who retold and popularized several fables from Western and Eastern sources in the Modern age, including Aesop's. Fables from India also had great global importance, with the ''Literature/{{Panchatantra}}'' being translated to countless languages and influencing literature all across Eurasia. In Feudal Japan, fables can be seen among literature such as the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon shoki'', reaching their height during the UsefulNotes/KamakuraShogunate.

Despite its name, the genre isn't inherently the same as the BeastFable trope, as the latter is about stories using animals as allegories for human society in general, not necessarily to teach a moral like a fable classically does. They overlap and the trope was influenced by the genre (hence its name), but not all fables feature animals (such as "[[https://read.gov/aesop/143.html The North Wind and the Sun]]" and "[[https://read.gov/aesop/011.html The Oak and the Reeds]]") and not all {{Beast Fable}}s focus on conveying universal, everyday moral lessons (such as ''Literature/ReynardTheFox'' and ''Literature/AnimalFarm'').

Fables are some of the oldest and most enduring and widespread genres of storytelling, present in almost every country as amusing, humorous ways of teaching or reflecting about truth and morality and passing down valuable folk wisdom. Much like fairytales, fables were originally targeted towards a relatively wider age span -- many stories from Phaedrus and La Fontaine carry political overtones and irony satirizing elements of their time, and they were used to teach adults in the Middle Ages as well --, but entered the school system and got associated with ChildrensLiterature due to their didactic and fantastic nature. In the West, the most influential fabulists are [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop]] -- considered to be the codifier of the genre as we know it -- and [[Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine La Fontaine]] -- who retold and popularized several fables from Western and Eastern sources in the Modern age, including Aesop's. Fables from India also had great global importance, with the ''Literature/{{Panchatantra}}'' being translated to countless languages and influencing literature all across Eurasia. In Feudal Japan, fables can be seen among literature such as the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon shoki'', reaching their height during the UsefulNotes/KamakuraShogunate.