Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
'Aesop's Fables' Summary
The fables originally belonged to the oral tradition and were not collected for some three centuries after Aesop's death. By that time a variety of other stories, jokes and proverbs were being ascribed to him, although some of that material was from sources earlier than him or came from beyond the Greek cultural sphere. The process of inclusion has continued until the present, with some of the fables unrecorded before the Late Middle Ages and others arriving from outside Europe. The process is continuous and new stories are still being added to the Aesop corpus, even when they are demonstrably more recent work and sometimes from known authors.
Manuscripts in Latin and Greek were important avenues of transmission, although poetical treatments in European vernaculars eventually formed another. On the arrival of printing, collections of Aesop's fables were among the earliest books in a variety of languages. Through the means of later collections, and translations or adaptations of them, Aesop's reputation as a fabulist was transmitted throughout the world.
Initially the fables were addressed to adults and covered religious, social and political themes. They were also put to use as ethical guides and from the Renaissance onwards were particularly used for the education of children. Their ethical dimension was reinforced in the adult world through depiction in sculpture, painting and other illustrative means, as well as adaptation to drama and song. In addition, there have been reinterpretations of the meaning of fables and changes in emphasis over time.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
Ancient GreekPublished In
Author
Aesop
Greece
Aesop (c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by h...
More on AesopDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Girl Who Sat by the Ashes by Padraic Colum
"Because she used to herd Goats in the high places and the rocky places, she went by the name of Girl-go-with-the-Goats. But that was not the name tha...
Steve and the Steam Engine by Sara Ware Bassett
Embark on a heartwarming adventure with "Steve and the Steam Engine" by Sara Ware Bassett, where the magic of discovery and the power of determination...
Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki
Published in 1903 entitled the Japanese Fairy Book, the title was changed in the 1908 edition to Japanese Fairy Tales. Theodora Ozaki was the daughter...
Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch
Bulfinch's Mythology is a collection of general audience works by American Latinist and banker Thomas Bulfinch, named after him and published after hi...
The Three Mulla-mulgars by Walter de la Mare
This is a magical tale of three monkey brothers who go in search of their father, and have great adventure along the way.
The Feather by Ford Madox Ford
In the depths of World War I, amidst the chaos and intrigue, a mysterious feather holds the key to secrets and betrayals in Ford Madox Ford's gripping...
Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger
Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks is a Bildungsroman by Horatio Alger Jr., which was serialized in The Student and Schoolm...
Not Quite Eighteen by Susan Coolidge
Not Quite Eighteen is a delightful collection of children’s stories that range from moral to whimsical. From unfinished fairy tales and daydreams abou...
The Children's Book of Christmas Stories by Various
Many librarians have felt the need and expressed the desire for a select collection of children's Christmas stories in one volume. This book claims to...
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Emerald City of Oz is the sixth of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Land of Oz books. It was also adapted into a Canadian animated film in 1987. Originall...
Reviews for Aesop's Fables
No reviews posted or approved, yet...