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A review by sraev19
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
4.0
Start with Aesop. If, like me, you are endeavouring to read some of the classic fairy tales, fables, and myths begin your journey with Aesop.
Translated by Laura Gibbs, this collection contains six hundred fables. While the book does not boast to be a complete collection, Gibbs notes that she selected fables from sources that had not been translated into English before; approximately one quarter of the fables are newly translated versions.
Gibbs groups the fables by themes in order to facilitate an easier and more pleasurable read. She says that her numbering of the fables is not intended for academic use—she provides the fables’ sources and their Perry numbers for that purpose—but for the casual reader. As a result, the collection is divided into small sections based on morals; for example, “Fables about False Friends” and “Fables about Wickedness Punished.”
This grouping does make for a smooth and enjoyable read. There is sense and order, and I breezed from one fable to the next, eager to discover more about false friends or wickedness punished. There is overlap in content and theme between the fables in each section, but because they are grouped together rather than spread out, like the Andersen and Grimm brothers tales are, I didn’t feel as though I were rereading the same tales over again. The fables felt less repetitive and tedious this way.
Aesop’s Fables is different from Andersen’s and the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales in other ways as well. The fables are significantly shorter, some as brief as one sentence. They don’t have the same storytelling qualities as the fairy tales. Intent on delivering morals instead of complex characters and stories, the fables don’t have much in the way setting, imagery, metaphor, or plain pretty writing. They get to the point, and many fables have supplemental material explaining that very point.
The fables are compulsive reads. The animals in the stories are cunning, witty, and devious yet also naïve figures that are entertaining to root for or against. The casual violence that is so heavy in Andersen and the Grimm brothers is sprinkled throughout Aesop and adds a touch of dark humour. And of course, the morals and themes of the fables still resonate today.
The moral of this story? Aesop’s Fables is a collection of light, readily digested tales and is a great gateway into the world of classic fairy tales, fables, and myths.
Translated by Laura Gibbs, this collection contains six hundred fables. While the book does not boast to be a complete collection, Gibbs notes that she selected fables from sources that had not been translated into English before; approximately one quarter of the fables are newly translated versions.
Gibbs groups the fables by themes in order to facilitate an easier and more pleasurable read. She says that her numbering of the fables is not intended for academic use—she provides the fables’ sources and their Perry numbers for that purpose—but for the casual reader. As a result, the collection is divided into small sections based on morals; for example, “Fables about False Friends” and “Fables about Wickedness Punished.”
This grouping does make for a smooth and enjoyable read. There is sense and order, and I breezed from one fable to the next, eager to discover more about false friends or wickedness punished. There is overlap in content and theme between the fables in each section, but because they are grouped together rather than spread out, like the Andersen and Grimm brothers tales are, I didn’t feel as though I were rereading the same tales over again. The fables felt less repetitive and tedious this way.
Aesop’s Fables is different from Andersen’s and the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales in other ways as well. The fables are significantly shorter, some as brief as one sentence. They don’t have the same storytelling qualities as the fairy tales. Intent on delivering morals instead of complex characters and stories, the fables don’t have much in the way setting, imagery, metaphor, or plain pretty writing. They get to the point, and many fables have supplemental material explaining that very point.
The fables are compulsive reads. The animals in the stories are cunning, witty, and devious yet also naïve figures that are entertaining to root for or against. The casual violence that is so heavy in Andersen and the Grimm brothers is sprinkled throughout Aesop and adds a touch of dark humour. And of course, the morals and themes of the fables still resonate today.
The moral of this story? Aesop’s Fables is a collection of light, readily digested tales and is a great gateway into the world of classic fairy tales, fables, and myths.