Each of us associates childhood with magic. And, of course, we all remember such beloved tales that were told to us before bedtime. At school, we were able to get acquainted with a very similar literary genre - a fable. We will find out how the fable differs from the fairy tale, and what is their similarity.
What is a fable
As you know, a fable is a small genre of literature in which often the main roles are played by animals, but sometimes it can be people or even objects. The authors of the fables are known to us from the school bench: Krylov, Dmitriev, Lafontaine. The writer of Ancient Greece Aesop originated this genre, who used stinging remarks about the government, calling them fables.
Many love fables for their liveliness, relevance at all times. But some people consider this genre a fairy tale, without thinking about the differences. And yet, how does a fable differ from a fairy tale?
Such different genres
A fable and a fairy tale are really similar in many respects, but if you go deeper, you can find many differences.
Fable authors use allegory (or, as it is called in literature, an allegory) to use animals to play a life situation that is relevant to people. This is the first difference between a fable and a fairy tale.
Remember: the fox in fables depicts a cunning person, a bear - a strong man, a donkey - a near, stupid one. But are fables really talking about animal life? No, this is about people. With the help of satire, the author ridicules human shortcomings, animals are only a means of depicting them.
The presence of morality is the following, in which a fable differs from a fairy tale. Morality is a peculiar outcome of a fable. Often it is taken out of the dash after the text itself, but can also be hidden in it. From morality, readers receive advice or a moralizing statement by the author. In fairy tales, there is no such conclusion, we are gradually approaching the logical end. Morality makes us think about the actions of people, look at the situation from a different angle.
The poetic form of fables is the third thing that distinguishes a fable from a fairy tale. Of course, we also know fairy tales, for example, Pushkin, written in the form of poems. But still, Russian folk tales were passed from mouth to mouth in prose. The fable is the author's genre. The use of poetic form gives it a special flavor.
Fable and story
What is the difference between a fable and a fairy tale, we have already found out. Now it is worth asking another question: are there any similarities and differences between fables and stories?
The story is a prose work of small volume. It has a specifically constructed plot, composition, and system of images. Usually it tells the story of real events that occurred or could have happened in real life.
Fantastic actions usually take place in a fable. Animals depicting people - the first proof of this.
In the story, the introduction goes to the main part, smoothly moving on to the finale. The fable has a short anticipation, but a large bulk. In it is the whole essence of the work.
The story does not always set a moralizing task, in the fable it is necessary. Didacticity is the difference between a fable and a fairy tale and a story. After reading any of the fables, the reader will certainly make something for himself.
Comic is another hallmark of a fable from a story. Not always stories are written with humor. Very often their task is to evoke emotions from the reader, to learn to empathize with the main characters. And in fables there is always satire. We are surprised at the absurd actions of heroes, their greed or stupidity.
Each of the heroes of the fables is endowed with relevant shortcomings to this day. Therefore, this genre is still being studied at school, although its peak in our country fell on the 18th - 19th century. But today fables write little. It is much easier to write a story than a fable. To do this, one must possess mastery and be an expert on human behavior.
Total
Small literary genres are very similar to each other. All of them educate the reader in empathy, instill aesthetics and teach how to behave in various situations. A fable among them occupies a special place. In it we see ourselves as if from the outside, being a witness to events. It turns out that people can look so ridiculous when stingy or stupid! Morality will summarize not only the fable, but also give advice to the reader how to behave or not to behave. What is the difference between a fable and a fairy tale about animals? The fact that the animals depicted in it are actually people. And here the magic of a fairy tale disappears: we are not happy for a happy ending, but we laugh at vicious heroes.