Content
The fables They are short literary texts with educational or exemplary content, and which are especially intended for growing children.
Fables constitute an important role in children's literature since they are usually orally disseminated, which allows children who still cannot read to learn through stories.
The characters in fables are usually animals that behave like humans since it is considered more pedagogical to personalize the virtues and defects of people in animals.
- It can serve you: Sayings
Origin and evolution
The origin of the fable is located in certain oriental cultures, which sought to spread in the children of the noble values and virtues that would help them to become rulers.
Greco-Roman slaves used them to convey pagan morality and emphasize that the natural virtues of things could not be changed. Then Christianity modified the spirit of the fables, including the possibility of change within human behavior.
Structure of the fables
Fables are also the minimum expression of some issues related to literature, their short length means that stories must quickly condense their main elements:
- Introduction. The character is introduced.
- Knot. What happens to him is detailed.
- Outcome. The conflict is resolved.
- Moral. A lesson or teaching related to the value that was wanted to be transmitted is transmitted (it can be explicit in a final sentence or remain unspoken)
Examples of short fables
- The wolf in sheep's clothing. In order to eat the lambs of the flock, a wolf decided to get inside a sheepskin and to mislead the shepherd. At dusk, the farmer led him to the herd and closed the door so that no wolves could enter. However, at night the shepherd entered the flock to take a lamb for dinner for the next day, took the wolf believing it to be a lamb and slaughtered it instantly. Moral: Whoever does the deception receives the damage.
- The dog and its reflection. Once upon a time there was a dog that was crossing a lake. In doing so, it carried quite a large prey in its mouth. As he crossed it, he saw himself in the reflection of the water. Believing it to be another dog and seeing the huge piece of meat it was carrying, it launched itself to snatch it from him but wanting to remove the prey from the reflection, it lost the prey it had in its mouth. Moral: The ambition to have it all can lead to losing what you accomplished.
- Peter and the wolf. Pedro used to amuse himself by making fun of his neighbors, because he yelled for a wolf and when everyone came to help him, he laughed telling them that it was a lie. Until one day, a wolf came and wanted to attack him. When Pedro began to ask for help, nobody believed him. Moral: Make yourself famous and go to sleep.
- Follow with: Euphemisms
