Just discussing the fables of Leo Tolstoy makes no sense. As such, he did not write fables, he translated. Although even this is not the main thing, after all, many people did it and achieved success, for example, Krylov, Pushkin, Dmitriev, Lafontaine. It is strange, at first glance, to start what you have already done more than once. But Tolstoy’s goal was different, one might say, holy. Thanks to his work, including fables, several generations of our country have learned to read. The famous "ABC" was created in order to help ordinary children from peasant families to master their literacy and mother tongue.
Aesop's Tales for the ABC
It is not a good idea to consider Tolstoy’s fables without the famous textbook, because he was engaged in the translation of the fables of an ancient Greek writer who lived in the VI century BC. e., it is precisely for the ABC, processing images to a level where it will not be difficult for children to understand them. By the way, the works of Aesop, written two and a half thousand years ago, were not poetic, but stated in simple language. And most importantly, relevant to this day, is not it?
Material for children's reading
A school for peasant children in Yasnaya Polyana needed a textbook. Tolstoy did a tremendous job of studying existing material before the light appeared on his “textbook”. He decided to include Aesop's work in the form of reading materials in the ABC. Translated Tolstoy's fables, many call the textbooks for maximum closeness to the original. He reworked some of his compositions in a new way in order to bring images closer to the reality existing at that time for easier perception.
Concept
Leo Tolstoy, whose fables were very different from translations made by other venerable authors, tried not to overload the works with unnecessary details. Brevity is the main thing. He wanted such creations to be more like proverbs, to be simple and easy to learn. Creating small instructive comedies with a clear conclusion is his goal.
ABC and Fables
In 1872, the ABC was published, and with it the fables of Tolstoy. In fairness, I would like to say that, unlike the rest of his works, fables were never printed separately, but only as reading material in the textbook. He arranged them according to the increasing complexity of perception, that is, at first the lungs went, and the book ended with complex instructive stories.
Fable Story (Tolstoy)
“Squirrel and the Wolf” is not a translation, but its own composition. It is instructive and, in contrast to the works of other writers, does not have a clearly defined morality. The interpretation of the fable “Raven and the Fox”, which is familiar to everyone, is completely different in its interpretation: it looked up at the meat in the beak of the raven, and not at the cheese, it is more natural, and most importantly, that is so written in Aesop's. “Dragonfly and Ants” in his publication is not as colorful as after processing Krylov, in whose hands the story became incredibly eloquent. “Lion and mouse” is an example of laconicism of statements. “Wolf and Crane”, “Thin Threads”, “Tortoise and Eagle” ... You can list endlessly. In total, 629 works were written for children by Tolstoy . Among them were fairy tales, and stories, and essays.