German 318: Fables in Contemporary Film and Literature
English 305: Studies in Literature
FABLEZINE
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Content 7 Reasons
for Reading Fables
❏ Definition
❏ 7 Reasons for Reading They’re best
Fables * to avoid repeating mistakes in the past
❏ Aesop’s Life - A Short * to connect with our cultural memory
Version of Our Own * to keep the tradition going for children
❏ FABLE DIY * to be able to identify ancient fables in
❏ Perspectives on Fable
Research contemporary culture
❏ Bibliography * to gain general knowledge
❏ Contributors * to be a better person
* to enjoy: L’Art pour L’Art!
fable noun Definition: What is a fable?
fa-ble / fā-bəl
A is a short, dense, fictitious story that teaches a moral through the use of o ne to three characters dealing with a conflict. There are
various possible types of characters that can be present in a fable such as humans, goddesses, or inanimate objects. However, the most
dominant types of fable characters are animals. These animals are anthropomorphized, or given human qualities, and are stereotypes with
certain personality traits. This allows for the fable to authentic in an allegorical sense since the fable is able to t each a moral that is helpful
in solving a problem humans face in a diverse society. Fables have an omniscient narrator and the story is told using p resent or simple
past tense. The setting is concrete but the topography is uncertain which firuther helps in transmitting a universal moral to the reader.
The genre is said to have archaic origins since e ven the Ancient Greeks considered them to be ancient. Fables are often attributed to
Aesop. However, the existence of one figure in history named Aesop is highly unlikely and up for debate.
(Definition in progress, created during our semester)
Fari ⟶ Fabula Fable Fable
Latin Latin Old French
Middle English
“Speak, tell” “Story, that which is told" “Story; lie” “Fictitious narrative; lie”
(Online Etymology Dictionary)
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Aesop's Life - A Short Version of Our Own
As a class we made a short summary of Aesop’s life from reading the ancient “The life of the truly amazing
Aesop”, translated by Anthony Alcock. Although the 600 BCE storyteller called Aesop has presumably never existed,
this is our interpretation of the mysterious life of Aesop.
(1) Aesop was sent away by his master to work on his farm. When two other slaves tried to blame him for something he didn't
do, Aesop used his cunningness to ensure the truth was revealed.
(2) Aesop was respectful to strangers, which made him eloquent.
His master thought it made him troublesome and sold him off.
(3) Aesop and the slaves prepare to leave for Asia. Aesop chooses
to carry the very heavy bread basket, because by the end of the day
the basket would be empty and he'd have nothing heavy to carry.
(4) Aesop, a hideous slave, is bought by Xanthus for his wit and
clever speech despite his looks.
(5) Aesop manages to win over Xanthus's wife by showing off his
wittiness.
(6) When Aesop, a slave, goes with his master to gather vegetables
from the gardener, Aesop is needed to solve the gardener’s
philosophical question that his master couldn’t resolve.
(7) During dinner Xanthus is having with his friends, Aesop drives
Xanthus crazy by taking every word he says too literally.
(8) Aesop was sent to deliver food to X’s “loyal companion” which
was supposed to be his mistress, but instead he allowed the dog to
eat the food. Aesop is in huge trouble.
(9) The philosopher Xanthus asked his slave Aesop for cooking
dinner for his students: firstly, something good and useful,
secondly something rotten and worse. Aesop served them two
times several courses only with tongues, because nothing is
greater or worse than the tongue.
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(10) Aesop brought a countryman to prove what he said “Master, there are many who eat their own food and drink their own
drink and look after their own affairs”.
(11) Aesop was told his master the baths were empty when they were not, then he asks Aesop why people look at their
excrement after they defecate and Aesop said it's because he has no wits.
(12) Aesop helps his master to win the bet set by the student.
(13) Aesop took what the mistress said too literally which ended up embarrassing X and his mistress in front of all their family
and friends.
(14) Aesop is a gatekeeper for his master's party and is ordered to only let intelligent people attend.
(15) Aesop's master finds a puzzle that he cannot solve, he promises Aesop his freedom and half the gold if he could find the
answer. Aesop solves the riddle but his master breaks his promise.
(16) Instead of Xanthus, Aesop gave a speech to the citizens of Samos about the intellectual beauty of ugliness. The crowd was
convinced of Aesop’s philosophical ideas and forced Xanthus to give freedom to his slave.
(17) King Croesus wanted the Samoans to pay him taxes or to be destroyed Samos as an example to others. But before this
should happen, Croesus tried to use a trick to get Aesop over to him.
(18) Aesop is able to convince the King to free the Samians from his wrath.
(19) Aesop who is betrayed by its adopted father causes the king to sentence him to death, but his friend saved his life and
helped the king to solve its riddle later on. When Aesop meets a young man, he warns him to be mindful of his surroundings.
(20) Aesop is able to outsmart and answer all the riddles of Nectanebo and his men. Because of this, the ruler of Egypt sends a
tribute to the ruler of Babylon.
(21) Aesop arrives in Delphi where he is wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death after disrespecting the Delphians. He
curses them with his dying breath and a plague is brought upon Delphi, so they built him altars and worshipped Aesop from
then on.
Portrait of Aesop (p. 2) by Diego Velazquez, 1640:, Museo del Prado
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esopo,_by_Diego_Velázquez.jpg
Portrait of Aesop (p. 1) by Heinrich Steinhöwel, ca. 1476
https://www.mrfh.de/20010
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Fable DIYs
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Each of the following fables was written by the students
1.
The Fox and the Owl
By Weronika Jozwiak
A Fox envied an Owl for being considered the wisest of all animals. One day, he decided to taunt the Owl until she
flew out of her home so that he could snatch and eat her. The Fox stood below the Owl’s tree and called out, “Owl, you are
considered so wise, but I think you are stupid.” There was no response, so he continued, “You stay in your home all day and
come out only during the night. I think you are hiding the fact that you are not that wise at all.” There was still no reply, so the
Fox added, “I bet you cannot even understand me.” There was more silence. After failing to lure out the Owl, the Fox left. The
Owl then said to herself, “Wisdom pays no attention to the words of jealousy.”
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2.
Elephant and the Ant
By Elvira Fedorko
In a small town, the ants’ only had two fears - the floods that rushed through their towns almost every night and the
large, menacing elephant that lived upon a hill. One day, a brave ant decided he’s tired of watching his family and friends live
their lives in fear so he resolved to kill the elephant. Finally managing to get to the top of the hill, he is surprised to find that
the source of the flooding are the tears coming from the huge elephant. He’s crying because no one wants to be his friend and
he’s lonely. Quickly becoming friends, the ants no longer feared the elephant and the floods seized.
Copyright: Bill Peet
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3.
The Fox and The Tiger
By Chi Ma
A tiger who was very hungry had been
searching for food for days, but the tiger
saw a fox drinking water by the river. The
tiger thought he can finally get a meal, but
as the tiger approach the fox. The fox came
up with a cunning plan. The fox told the
tiger that he cannot eat him, for he is the
king of the forest. The tiger does not
believe him and follow the fox into the forest to see it for himself. As they were walking through the forest. All the animals
begin to run away when they see the tiger. When the tiger and the fox see the animals running away from them, the fox turned
toward the tiger and said “See! Didn’t I tell you? All the animals in the forest ran away when they see me!” The tiger apologizes
for his action and walks away without a meal.
http://www.theabecker.com/portfolio-items/the-fox-and-the-tiger/
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4.
The Rabbit & the Hummingbird
By Mamduda Zaman
Every afternoon, the Rabbit decides to gather fresh fruits and
vegetables from the nearby forest for his dinner. Each time the Rabbit
enters the forest to gather his dinner, a Hummingbird notices he takes
the same route every time, and is always able to gather an abundant
amount of food. This makes the Hummingbird seemingly envious of how
easefully the Rabbit is able to supply himself in the forest without the
worry of being eaten by predators. One afternoon, the Hummingbird
decided to befriend the Rabbit by inviting him over to his tree trunk for
dinner. Over dinner, the Hummingbird tells the Rabbit how dangerous the
forest has become, and he offers his skills in order to help him gather
food. “I know which routes will be most safe for you, Rabbit, as I can see
far above the ground for sights of predators within the forest.” The Rabbit
gratefully agrees to the Hummingbirds request. The following afternoon,
the Hummingbird leads the Rabbit into the forest. As the Rabbit continues the path the Hummingbird is leading him, the
Rabbit hears loud strokes of thunder. The Hummingbird lands on a nearby tree branch waiting for the right time to leave the
Rabbit deserted within the dangerous part of deep within the forest, where predatory animals can easily prey on Rabbit. The
Rabbit catches sight of the Hummingbird on the nearby tree branch and warns the Hummingbird to flee quickly from the
thunder. “Hummingbird! You must fly away!” However, it was too late. The Hummingbird was suddenly hit by lightning, and fell
to the ground amidst the darkening of the weather. Soon after, Rabbit managed to find his way back home, and continued from
the following day to use his original route.
Moral: The memory of a good deed lives on forever.
Image: h ttps://www.rmichelson.com/artists/turi-maccombie/commissions/rabbit-and-hummingbird-15x11/
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5.
The Shepherd and the Show Dog
By Mallorie Leary
One day a German Shepherd was at the dog park with her friend the show dog. The show dog was slim and
manicured, he wore a medal around his neck everywhere he went. He won first place at the dog show, and loved to tell every
one of his dog friends at the park about it
every time he saw them. Every dog there
thought he was great, they always came
over to see his medal when the two friends
showed up.
A little while later while they
were playing, they heard a small squeaking
noise, they went around to check it out. The
two friends found that the squeaking noise
was coming from a smaller puppy who had
fallen in the creek, he could not get out of
the water. They had to help, but the show
dog refused to get his fur wet and muddy so he ran off back to his owner and left the park. The German Shepherd did not
hesitate to jump in the water and grab the small pup right out, she brought the pup back to its owner and went home.
A few weeks later, when the two friends arrived at the dog park together, every dog in the park cried out “It's her
again! Yay! We love her! She is a hero!” when they saw them. There was no interest in seeing the show dogs medal.
Image: h ttps://www.deviantart.com/fervious/art/Runestorm-s-Keeper-of-Fables-771951939
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6.
The Goldfinch and the Tomcat
By Lily Schreiner
A goldfinch pondered her day’s work. She was asked to gather berries for her
friends; however, the berries only grew in the canopy of the oak trees. The goldfinch
lamented, “I can see the berries, but they are so high up, and I have already had to fly here
myself.” A stray tomcat, overhearing the goldfinch’s tale, quickly offered to help. “With my
claws, I may climb to the berries and bring them back to you.” The goldfinch agreed
happily. She watched the tomcat scale the tree with ease. He leaped down and passed the
berries to her. As she placed the berries into her
talons, the tomcat swiped at the goldfinch,
inflicting on her a mortal wound. The goldfinch
cried, “O, I am a fool; never should I have trusted someone who was so unusually eager
to help me.” Do not mistake someone taking advantage of you as kindness.
Images:
Cat: https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/image-450w-165568487.jpg
Goldfinch: http://www.clker.com/clipart-15989.html
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7.
The Rabbit and the Shadow
By Denis Naranjo
A Rabbit hopped down a creek near his grassy home. He hopped and hopped for quite a while and began to tire
himself out. Eventually the rabbit came upon a dark forest. A shadow creeped out from behind the trees and whispered to the
curious little Rabbit. “Would you like to come into the forest?” asked the Shadow. “Is there anything inside?” asked the Rabbit.
“There are bushels of ripe berries right behind these trees and the softest grass to lay your little feet, and cool water to drink as
you please.” replied the Shadow. “I cannot see any such thing.” replied the Rabbit. “That is because these bounties are deep in
the forest, treasures for those who come inside.” assured the Shadow. “The berries would certainly fill me up, the water would
sate my thirst and I could rest my feet upon the grass.” thought the Rabbit. He hopped on into the shadows and with a Chomp
and Gulp the Fox had eaten the Rabbit whole.
Image: h ttps://society6.com/product/rabbit-hand-shadow_print
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8.
The Snake and the Bear
By Denver Hatcher
After shedding his skin, a snake looked back on his old scales and
thought them so beautiful that he should be a god. Later, the snake asked Zeus if
he could become immortal so that he would never have to shed his beautiful
scales again. Zeus replied that he may but only if he proved that he was worthy.
Pleased with his chances, the snake was on his best behavior, always imagining
Zeus looking down on him from the clear desert sky. One cloudy day the snake
met a great brown bear. Intimidated by the bear’s size, the snake boasted that he
would soon be immortal. The bear replied that he was happy for the snake and
knew he would never be so lucky himself. The snake agreed with the bear that he
was unworthy and slithered away. But before the snake was out of sight, Zeus
appeared from where he had been spying through the clouds. Zeus told the snake
he was displeased with his arrogance but admired the bear’s humility and
decided to make him immortal instead. Before departing, Zeus warned the snake:
“You should be careful of what you do, for you never know who is watching.”
Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/561894490985638593/?lp=truekoi
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9.
The Girl and the Mouse
By Mandukhai Damdinjav
There was a girl who lived alone in the forest in a small house with a mouse. She was very unorganized and lived in a
mountain of clothes and books. It was hard to find things that she placed in her house. The mice always lectured her:” Put your
things in order and in one specific place. Or else you may one day
never find in urgency what you may need in times of need. Thus an
emergency came by. A King offered anyone who could bring by
dawn a specific lost book. That person shall receive a lifetime of gold.
The girl heard upon the news and searched madly through her
pile of mess in her house. She kept on searching through mountain of
clothes and books. In each room she started to search for the book,
that she possessed it somewhere in the house. Room to room she started each search again and again. In the hit of the search
she forgot the time has passed. The mouse brought the book to the King and earned the price. The mouse lived happily and
content with every desire the mouse wished. The girl; however, lived restricted financially.
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10.
The Lizard, Mouse, and Eagle
By Andrew Tuider
Image: bigstockphoto.com/jacktoon
A lizard who lived in a forest with many other animals was very lazy and greedy - he did not like to hunt for food, so he would
often steal from other animals. One day as he was crawling around, he found a fat young mouse with a lot of food. Seeing the
opportunity to take advantage of this, the lizard went and stole the mouses’ food.
The next day, the lizard was crawling in the same place and saw the mouse just as he was the day before. He went
and stole the food again. This happened day after day for weeks. After a while, the mouse became very skinny and was
beginning to starve. One day, he had enough and knew he had to look for help. He went to the eagle, who could see everything
going on in the forest from above and told him of his problem. The Eagle agreed to help, but only in return for half of the food
the mouse gets, to which the mouse agreed.
The next day, as the lizard came to steal food from the mouse, he heard a screech from above and was pecked by the
eagle until he was forced to run away. Every time the lizard would come to steal the food, the eagle would come and scare him
away. Eventually, the lizard himself was skinny and starving and no longer had the energy to steal food from the mouse. Upon
learning this, the mouse felt sorry and shared the food evenly with the lizard and eagle.
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11.
Curious Canary
By Hannah Shaban
There once was a Canary who roamed the East with her family but
was not allowed to leave and fly elsewhere. The Canary’s mother
would say, “curiosity kills the bird.” So the Canary never went here
or there and stayed put. Until one morning, the canary met a bird
while fetching water that looked all so different and so much bigger
than herself; his name was Cardinal, and red was his color. They
talked, and the canary wondered what else was out there in the
world. Her curiosity spread and wanted to know more about the other birds she knew nothing of.
The Canary at that moment decided to leave with the Cardinal and explore, but she had to be back before sunset so
that her mom wouldn’t be worried. The two birds set out and went from tree to tree and met all kinds of birds and made new
friends. From parrots to pigeons, owls, and hummingbirds, the canary
learned about the different birds and knew there was so much more.
Canary realized her mother was wrong and that she feared that
she would get lost or want to leave the family if she roamed elsewhere. But
there was nothing to fear although the Canary loved to travel she always
found her way back home. After exploring Canary made it home before
sunset and went to bed early so she can explore again the next day.
Images: h ttps://images.app.goo.gl/ouTkTpK1eFKW3b8SA
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12.
The Lion, the Monkey, the Deer, and the Bear
By Essowazina Tchatakoura
The monkey asked the deer and the bear who is courageous among them, so that they
can give a lesson to lion. He asked them to accompany him to visit a famous psychic card reader.
As soon as they enter, the lion blocked the exist of his shop and asked them why they are here.
The monkey said, “we are here to get your vision”. The lion flipped a card and said, “I saw your
entry but unfortunately I did not see your exit”. To frightened,
the saliva flowed between bears teeth and the deer defecated.
The monkey said, “Master lion, look again. We are sheep traders. We are going to the market
and we want to know if today is a blessing day to sell all our sheep? If you tell us good news,
we can give you 20 sheep”. The lion thinking about 20 sheep flipped another card and said,
“Yes I saw you are traders and you can make a big
profit today”. The monkey told the deer to go get the sheep for the lion. When he is
out, he ran away. After a while, the monkey told the bear to go help the deer. Maybe
the sheep were too much to handle. The bear also ran away after exiting. Lastly the
monkey said to lion “those kids always play when you commissioned them. Master
lion, let’s follow them and when we reach them you can take your sheep”. On their
way, the monkey jumped on the tallest three and said to lion “you always use force to get your victims. I just taught you a
lesson. You missed four meals: the deer, the bear, the sheep, and me”.
Images:
https://allanimalia.com/124/african-lion-vs-grizzly-bear-wild.html
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/nov/16/mutant-buck-monkey-menacing-deer-woods-20131116
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13.
The Horse and the Monkey
By Brian Kyeon
In a forest, there is a pack of monkeys that work together to gather
food. However, there is one that hates to share. One day, the selfish
Monkey finds a group of trees filled with lots and lots of bananas.
The Monkey couldn’t haul them all at once and does not want to go
back and forth. The Monkey sees a Horse treading through the forest
and asks the Horse if she could help the Monkey carry the bananas
for him. The Horse replies she will gladly help the Monkey if he
could navigate her out of the forest to big open plains with giant green fields. The Monkey accepts the condition, even though
he has only lived inside the forest and never wandered outside his entire life. The Monkey proceeds to mount the bananas on
the Horse and walk together side by side. As they are walking, the Monkey spots more banana trees. He grabs and places them
on the Horse. The Horse remarks there is too much and it is too heavy. She suggests the Monkey should help carry the
bananas. He declines, says they’re almost outside of the forest so it won’t be for long.
After walking for some time, the Monkey wishes to ride on top of the Horse because he is fatigued. She responds the
bananas are heavy enough, she couldn’t handle anymore weight. The Monkey jests saying he does not weigh much, surely a
horse could handle a few bananas and a Monkey. He jumps on top and proceeds to eat bananas. As they continue their journey
through the forest, the Monkey notices his bananas are beginning to rot. He gets worried and tells the Horse to pick up the
pace, but she is treading slowly because of the weight of everything. So, the Monkey smacks her hind. The Horse startled,
begins rearing. It was so unexpected. The Monkey falls to the ground on his back. With his injured back, he is unable to walk
and watches the Horse gallop further into the forest with all his bananas.
Image: h ttps://africageographic.com/blog/baboons-and-horses-monkey-around/
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Perspectives on Fable Research
FABLEZINE
The Contrast Between Fable and Fairy Tale
By Denis Naranjo
Fables and fairy tales are timeless classics that have survived for centuries in the form of books, films and from the
countless people who have told and retold these stories for years. Aesop’s fables and the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are
commonly regarded as children's literature and have become inextricably linked. Educators, such as Charles Dickens, would
later recommend fables as a teaching tool to help children learn how to read and write while fairy tales were seen as a way to
help the young develop a sense of morality (Reinstein 45). As a result, these texts they would often be some of the first texts
children will encounter. This association would lead Aesop’s fables and the Grimm’s fairy tales to become forever linked in the
eyes of modern society. Though despite sharing some vague similarities on the surface, fables and fairy tales are actually polar
opposites of one another once you begin to analyze both texts.
Fairy tales are set in an idealistic reality in which the evil are punished and brought to justice for their misdeeds and
the virtuous hero or heroine is rewarded greatly for their hard work and perseverance. Meanwhile, Aesop’s fables look at the
harsh reality that we live in and understands that we may never be on the same level as those who have power over us and that
showing kindness can lead to weakness and abuse. Fairy tales are largely a fantasy in which, as long as you do as you are told
and you have faith, then you will experience a miracle and be rewarded handsomely. Fairy tales exist to give people hope where
there is none, but they also exist to encourage certain ideals and morals while simultaneously condemning other actions that
are deemed selfish. This is in direct contrast to Aesop’s fables as selfish actions are not condemned. Fables understands that
the world is not an idealistic place in which justice is served and the evil are punished. Aesop sees evil in the world and
understands that there can be nothing done about it. The most you can do is to try and survive by any means necessary.
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The Use of Animal Characteristics in Fables
By Weronika Jozwiak
In a fable, the animal does not matter. Rather, fables tend to zoom in and focus on the specific traits of an animal that
best lend themselves to carry the narrative and deliver the moral. The animals are used as a medium for the moral. However,
the specific animal characteristics used vary from animal to animal. What specific aspects of an animal a reader must know to
understand a fable’s moral is determined by the closeness of an animal to humans. The closer an animal lives with humans, the
more likely the animal will be given stereotypical personality traits to go along with its physical characteristics.
Images: h ttp://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/milowinter/48.htm
In the fable “The Fox and the Crane,” the fox, an animal that lives in close proximity to humans, is chosen for its personality
stereotypes, while the crane, an animal that is able to fly and, therefore, does not live as close to humans, is only chosen for the
fable for its physical characteristics.
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Bear Advertisements: Fable Roots in Animal Advertising
By Weronika Jozwiak
Animal advertisements are modern fables. As seen through the advertisements that use bears in them, depending on
whether a bear in an advertisement is animated or made to look realistic, the viewer can automatically understand what
stereotypes are associated with this animal. This is a testament to how animal stereotypes are ingrained in human cultural
memory and how people are trained to see these stereotypes in animals. Fables are the genre that help humans in doing this.
Because stereotyped and anthropomorphized animal characters are such a dominant convention in fables, when a viewer sees
an advertisement with this convention, he or she unconsciously reads the commercial as a fable. This makes the moral to buy a
product or service more easily transmittable to the viewer, which influences him or her to buy the product or service
advertised. Since fables are meant to educate with their morals, advertisements being fables blur the line between educating
and persuading. While the psychological roots of the success of animal advertisements is important, the poetical root from
humanity’s collective memory is just as important.
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Coca-Cola uses polar bears in its advertisement “Coke 2012 Commercial: “Catch” starring NE_Bear.” The bears in
this commercial are stereotyped with friendly behavior. The idea of bears being kind and civil may seem odd. One may ask,
should the bears not be frightening like real bears? However, animals in fables do not always have to be authentic to the real
animals they are based on. These animals have an allegorical, “learned cultural meaning” (Stone 12). From a young age, when
children have stuffed animal bears, people learn to associate bears with friendliness. Because this continues for generations,
bears being friendly have been an accepted cultural stereotype for a bear. When one sees bears, especially animated ones like
the bears in this commercial, one does not expect the bears to act as bears really would act. Instead, the viewer would expect
the bears to act in ways that are allegorical to human behavior. This is because fables are present in the cultural memory, which
allows for people to connect these short, dense, fictitious narratives with the idea of animals being allegories to human
experiences. Fable knowledge is what helps the viewer understand the allegory of the bears to humans and helps the viewer
read the moral of the advertisement which is that if one drinks Coca-Cola, even if there are life events like football games that
are not going the way one wants them to, he or she will still be able to have a good time and have success in unexpected
events. The use of an animal here welcomes a fable reading which makes the message of the film more accessible to the
viewer, and therefore, makes the advertisement more effective.
Filmstills: “Coke 2012 Commercial: “Catch” Starring NE_Bear,” 0:01, 0:28, 0:54, 0:58. C oca-Cola, 2012.
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FABLEZINE Fables and Lingua Franca
By Weronika Jozwiak and Essowazina Tchatakoura
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FABLEZINE
Latin:
Greek: De Lepore, & Testudine.
1. Testuod, cùm ejus pedes lepus derideret, subridens inquit ad eum:
(Voskuhl 214) 2. Si periculum in cursu feceris, quòd quàm tu velocior sim, liqui∣do
cognosces.
3. Cui lepus ait, Te profectò fugit, quid mei valeant pedes; sed judicem
eligamus, qui cursum & terminum nobis definiat.
4. Igitur eligunt vulpem, brutorum omnium sagacissimam, quae &locum,
& cursus terminum constituit.
5. Testudo, omni segnitie & negligentiâ semotâ, iter arripiens, haud
quievit donec ad terminum pervenit.
6. Lepus verò pedibus sidens, ubi paulum quievit, somno excita∣tus,
quantum pedes valuerunt, ad terminum cucurrit.
7. Ibique cùm testudinem quiescentem reperit, se cum rubore fa∣tetur à
testudine sup•ratum.
Mor. Fabula significat, quòd studio & diligentiâ, non corporis vi∣ribus,
res vel maximae conficientur.
(Hoole 215)
German: English:
Die Schildkröte und der Hase The Hare and the Tortoise
Eine Schildkröte und ein Hase gerieten miteinander in Wettstreit, A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise,
wer von ihnen der schnellste und tüchtigste sei. Sie who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you
vereinbarten, einen Wettlauf zu veranstalten und luden alle Tiere in a race." The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible,
der Umgebung ein, als Zuschauer daran teilzunehmen. Eines der assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the
Tiere gab das Startzeichen, worauf sich die Schildkröte in course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started
gewohnter Langsamkeit in Richtung des Ziels in Bewegung together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a
setzte. slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying
Der Hase, der wusste, dass er um vieles schneller laufen konnte down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as
als die Schildkröte, machte sich über sie lustig. Er unterhielt die fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was
Zuschauer, indem er die Schildkröte nachäffte und langsam vor comfortably dozing after her fatigue.
sich hin kroch, dann aber große Sprünge machte, Purzelbäume Slow but steady wins the race.
schlug und geschwind über dem Feld hin und her rannte. Die
Zuschauer erfreuten sich an diesen Darbietungen, was den (Townsend)
Hasen dazu antrieb, sich immer wilder ins Zeug zu legen und
sich immer neue Kapriolen einfallen zu lassen. Das aber
übermüdete ihn schließlich so sehr, dass er ermattet zu Boden
sank und einschlief. Die Schildkröte steuerte währenddessen
unverdrossen das vereinbarte Ziel an und erreichte es als erste.
Fazit: Mit Stetigkeit hat man oft mehr Erfolg als mit
sprunghaftem Eifer. (Russi)
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Fables for Cultural Memory
By Mandukhai Damdinjav
Majority of the assumptions are that fables are designed for children and to educate the young children.
But little do they know, that fables weren’t specifically made for children, but it serves as past cultural
memory to not repeat past mistakes and failures. That humans have learned throughout the ages of time.
We know that each fable has a lesson and moral that we acknowledge through the fable stories. For
example, the famous fable the Hare and the Tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race. Fables serves as
fabric of identity of humans, which involves autonesis. What is autonoesis? Autonoesis is “the capacity of recognizing oneself
in the past and projecting oneself into the future.” (Assman, Jan Tulving 2002). Cultural memories last as long as the culture
lasts, or as long as political regime last. Each ethnic and culture is different, but in the end for each ethnic group and culture
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have fables that relates back to certain morals. Fables are timeless and you can always learn and remind yourself of not doing
those mistakes and failures that happened.
Image: Book cover of Three Hundred Aesop’s Fables (1867)
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Behind the Veil:
Political Themes in Aesopic Film - Uniting of Generations
By Lily Schreiner
Aesop’s fables have changed throughout time, whether it be through the process of rewriting them (such as Robert
Long’s New Aesop Fables from 2006), or producing a cinematic retelling of these classic stories. In the case of the latter, the
1946 film “The Tortoise Wins Again” from TerryToons is a visualization of
issues of the time, specifically industrialization and moving forward from
antiquity. This film utilizes elements unique to a cinematic experience, such
as visualization of characters and specific animation choices, to project the
political undertones to its audience. Reifarth states, “The canon of Aesop's
fables is constantly enriched by retellings and new additions” (Reifarth 15).
This film isn’t a “re-telling” of the original fable; rather, it is a new addition
to the existing lore of the original written fable. The fact this film encompasses two generations, the original characters from
the fable as well as their children, is paramount to the film’s political message. This message can be read as cooperation
between the younger and older generation. The tortoise can be seen as personifying antiquity, and antiquated ideas; though he
moves steadily, this alone is not enough to overtake the hare, who personifies modernity. The younger generation of the
tortoise, then, uses modern inventions to either assist their father or hinder the hare.
Filmstill: “The Tortoise Wins Again”, 00:05:22, TerryToons, 1946.
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FABLEZINE Text Matters:
How Cinematic Visuals Play A Role In Hidden Politics
By Lily Schreiner
“The Tortoise Wins Again” is a prime example of a key rule in cinematography and filmmaking: nothing on screen is
a mistake, and everything is done with intention. Reifarth writes, “Out of Aesop-style fables emerged the way of writing that
can be called 'Aesopic': writing which conceals its political message under a veil of seemingly harmless animal stories”
(Reifarth 31). The movement of a written text to a “big screen”
allows the director to further veil its political message, through
visual objects such as an anchor, saws, and a magnet. It is also
worth mentioning that the majority of these objects, besides the
magnet, are used to hinder the fast-moving hare. The political
message is that instead of pushing so quickly ahead, it better serves
to linger and assist those behind you, so you may all advance
together. A keystone political message of this film is you will go
further faster if you work as a team and utilize the new-age, modern technology of the era - the movement forward through
objects of modernity and the help of the second generation is shown as a necessity. Without the assistance of these, the
tortoise (symbolic of the first generation/antiquity and antiquated ideas) would never be able to surpass the rush of the hare
and the modernity he represents. This is visually showcased in a scene where the hare morphs into a freight train and barrels
into the tortoise. The only way to beat this frenzied rush is to combine both the slow, steady tactics of the first generation’s
antiquity, with the second generation’s inventions and creations, to further not just the individual, but the group as well.
Filmstill: “The Tortoise Wins Again”, 00:03:23, TerryToons, 1946.
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Fables for All
By Mallorie Leary
Fables follow us from generation to generation, they have an important role in our society. Many think fables are for
younger people and children. Fables are not your average princess story, fables all include implicit and explicit morals that
everyone can learn from (Assman, 2010). It is most definitely important to tell these fables to children, but I think fables can
be useful in teaching adults as well. Since fables are short and concise they are easy to remember. This is good for children,
since they do not think too hard about things they are doing (especially in the moment), if you make it fun for them, they will
be able to grasp morals better. Even for adults it can be helpful to think of certain animals and their characteristics we see in
fables and think of which characteristics we want in ourselves. Since animals in fables are all anthropomorphized it is easy to
connect with the animals in the fables. Everyone knows what I am talking about when I say “don't be a snake”, from the fable
“The Farmer and the Snake” we know that the snake betrayed the farmer who helped him, pinning snakes as sneaky
backstabbers of the fable world. Simple sentences like that one can translate a certain moral now after hearing these fables, we
do not even need to hear the whole story again to know the moral.
Image: h ttps://www.pinterest.ch/pin/413627547017332471/
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Fable Comparison
By Chi Ma
“The Grapes Are Sour” “The Fox and The Grapes”
[This version of the fable substitutes a monkey for the fox.] “A famished Fox saw some clusters of ripe black grapes
A MONKEY some charming ripe grapes once espied, hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks
Which how to obtain, was the query; For up to a trellis so to get at them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not
high they were tied, That he jump’d till he made himself reach them. At last she turned away, hiding her
weary. So finding, at last, they were out of his power, Said disappointment and saying: "The Grapes are sour, and not
he, “Let them have them who will: I see that they’re green, ripe as I thought.” (T ownsend)
and don’t doubt that they’re sour, And fruit that’s unripe
makes me ill.” (Jefferys Taylor)
“Those will ne’er be believed by the world, it is plain. Who “It is easy to despise what you cannot get”
pretend to despise what they cannot obtain.”
Overall both story shares similar moral which is “It is easy to despise what you cannot get”, meaning the fox was
unable to get what he wanted, after spending so much of his time and effort, but all in vain. In order to rationalize the situation,
he is in. So, he tells himself that the grapes were unfit to eat, so that he should move on instead.
The fox who is frustrated and disappointment reveals a deeper meaning,
because he does not want to admit that he is unable to achieve his cover, and to cover his
ego. He claims that the grapes are not ripe, and he would not have truly enjoyed them
anyway. It also means when a person tries to do something without success and walked
away in frustration, while providing a defensive excuse. The highlight of the story
is that the readers can relate themselves to the fox, because some people might to
speak ill of the unachievable situation and to cope with failure and our inability to fulfil
our goals. Therefore, we can say that the message of this story is “One tends to speak ill of the things that one cannot attain.”
Instead of figuring out a way to solve the problem the fox choose to give up, while thinking the grape might be sour, however,
there are chances that those grapes were ripe after all.
Image: h ttps://fablesofaesop.com/the-fox-and-the-grapes.html
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Bibliography
Aesop. The Internet Classics Archive: Aesop's Fables by Aesop. Translated by George Fyler Townsend,
classics.mit.edu/Aesop/fab.1.1.html.
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Aesop. “Die Schildkröte Und Der Hase.” Translated by Florian Russi, Deutschland-Lese, Bertuch Verlags Weimar, 19 July 2018,
https://www.deutschland-lese.de/index.php?article_id=1042.
Assmann, Aleida and Conrad, Sebastian. “Globalization, Universalism, and the Erosion of Cultural Memory.” M emory in a Global
Age: Discourses, Practices and Trajectories. Palgrave Macmillian, 2010, pp. 121-137.
Genette, Gérard. T he Architext: An Introduction. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
Holzberg, Niklas. “The Fable as Exemplum in Poetry and Prose.” T he Ancient Fable: an Introduction. Indiana University Press,
2003.
Hoole, Charles. Aesop’s Fables English and Latin: Every One Whereof Is Divided into Its Distinct Periods, 1700,
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A26506.0001.001.
Kreische, J., Nieberle, S., and Welzel, B., Aesop@TU Dortmund. Eine Uni - ein Buch. Norderstedt: BoD, 2018.
Kurke, L., A esopic Conversations: Popular Tradition, Cultural Dialogue, and the Invention of Creek Prose, Princeton, Princeton
University Press, 2010.
Lefkowitz, Jeremy B., “Aesop and Animal Fable”, T he Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life, 1-23, Edited by
Gordon Lindsay Campell, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Lewis, J.E., T he English Fable: Aesop and Literary Culture, 1651-1740, London: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Lissarrague, F. , “Aesop, Between Man and Beast: Ancient Portraits and Illustrations.” Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the
Construction of the Other in Creek Art, Edited by B. Cohen, 132-149, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2000.
MacCracken, Henry Noble. “The Minor Poems of John Lydgate.” University of Virginia Library,
xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=chadwyck_ep%2FuvaGenText%2Ftei%2Fchep_1.0283.xml%3Bchunk.id
Painter, George Duncan. W illiam Caxton: a Biography. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977.
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Perry, B.E., S tudies in the Text History of the Life and Fables of Aesop (Philological Monographs, No. vii.), Haverford,
Pennsylvania, American Philological Association and Oxford, Blackwell, 1936.
Perry, B.E., A esopica, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 1952.
Reifarth, Gert. “Old Aesop and ‘Aesopics’: Facts and Fiction, Film and Fables.” In Aesopic Voices: Re-framing Truth Through
Concealed Ways of Presentation in the 20th and 21st Centuries, e dited by Gert Reifarth and Philip Morrissey, 14-44,
Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2011.
Reinstein, P. Gila. “Aesop and Grimm: Contrast in Ethical Codes and Contemporary Values.” C hildren’s Literature in Education:
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Films
“Hare vs. Tortoise Race”, Disney Studios, USA 1934, h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdZIfafAlaU
“The Tortoise Wins Again,” TerryToon, USA 1946, h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8wwn2sKse4
“The Fox and the sour Grapes”, Frank Tashlin (1941), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op6_4e0mMN0
Coca-Cola. “Coke 2012 Commercial: “Catch” Starring NE_Bear.” YouTube, uploaded by Coca-Cola, 3 February 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nBBMbjS8w.
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Contributors
Mandukhai Damdinjav, Germanic studies
Elvira Fedorko, English
Weronika Jozwiak, English
Brian Kyeon, Teaching of English
Mallorie Leary, Teaching of German
Denver Justine Lively-Hatcher, Political Science
Chi Ma, English
Lily Schreiner, Germanic Studies
Essowazina Tchatakoura, Germanic Studies
Andrew Tuider, Germanic Studies
Mamduda Zaman, Teaching of English
Sigrid Nieberle, Max Kade Visiting Professor for Germanic Studies
https://german.uic.edu/ 31