Verse Fable

Fable meaning

What is a fable? Let's look at a basic definition to get us started.

The animals, plants or objects in a fable are typically anthropomorphised, meaning that the writer gives them human qualities. Creatures in fables speak as a human would and mimic expected human behaviour. Some animal types even have specific human traits assigned to them; a fox is often seen as cunning, a mouse as timid and an owl as wise.

In this article, we'll bring attention to a particular sub-genre of the fable known as the verse fable. What does this mean? Let's define 'verse' to find out.

That's right! A verse fable is just a fable that's in poetic form. Before we move on to some famous examples, let's look in a bit more detail at the diverse history of this exciting genre.

Fable history

Our story begins in ancient Greece with Aesop (c.620BCE - 564 BCE), an enslaved person and storyteller who we commonly accredit with creating the legendary collection of stories known as Aesop's Fables (5th century BCE).

Fig 1. This bust, currently housed in the Villa Albani in Rome, is thought to depict Aesop.

While Aesop wasn't the first person to personify animals and use them in a morality story, he was the first to popularise the fable genre. Some of Aesop's most famous works, like 'The Tortoise and the Hare' and 'The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs', are still recited to children worldwide today. While Aesop's Fables were prose works, these stories laid the foundation for all future verse fables to come.

A common misconception of the fable is that it is reserved only for children's literature. While it's true that there are many brilliant children's fables, throughout the middle ages and into the present day, fabulists have often used the fable to explore dark themes and satirise aspects of society. Innovative French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) pioneered the use of the fable as a tool to mock class, religion and law. His work inspired many writers across the world to become satirical fabulists, including Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801), John Gay (1685-1732) and Ivan Krylov (1769-1844).

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the fable has maintained popularity with children and adults alike. In 1922, an Austro-Hungarian fabulist named Felix Salten created Bambi: A Life in the Woods (yes, that's the book that the Disney movie is based on). This coming-of-age novel follows the journey of a male deer and delivers moral messages about humans' responsibility to nature. George Orwell's infamous fable Animal Farm (1945) satirises the Stalinist regime through a story about farm animals.

Fable types

Let's look at three important variations of the fable.

Animal fables

This animal fable is the most common type within the fable genre. These animals typically have human traits and are placed into situations that humans usually find themselves in. Animal fables often feature elements of humour and deliver a moral message to the reader in the closing lines. A famous example of the animal fable is Aesop's 'The Hare and the Tortoise'.

Fig 2. This 1912 drawing was printed in an English version of Aesop's Fables. It depicts the hare mocking the tortoise as several other animals laugh in the background. Don't let them get you down, tortoise.

Mythical fables

Sometimes fables include creatures that don't closely resemble any common animals found on Earth. These creatures could be magical, mythological or caricatures of other animals. The setting that the fable takes place in could also be otherworldly. What sets this type of fable apart from traditional fairy tales and fantasy is that the issues and challenges the characters encounter within their world closely mirror the obstacles we encounter in our own. An example of a mythical fable is Dr Seuss's (1904-1991)The Lorax (1971).

Object fables

Fables can also be based on inanimate objects. This can be a challenging yet rewarding task for a fabulist because humans rarely attribute personalities to inanimate things. Picturing how a fork, lake or mug might talk is more challenging than assigning a voice to a cat or a dog. However, when carried out imaginatively, the result is a humorous fable that breathes life into something previously inert. An example of the object fable is Aesop's 'The Oak & The Reeds'.

Fig 3. This 1816 painting by Achille Etna Michallon (1796-1822) depicts the Reeds bowing while the mighty Oak breaks and collapses in the background.

Fable poems

Let's look at two popular verse fables, one from Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and another by Eleanor Ross Taylor (1920-2011).

Ralph Waldo Emerson - 'The Mountain and the Squirrel'

'The Mountain and the Squirrel' (date unknown) by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a famous example of a verse fable based on a quarrel between an inanimate object (the mountain) and an animal (the squirrel). Here's the poem in full, followed by a brief explanation.

In this poem, a mountain calls a squirrel a 'little prig'. To this, the squirrel responds that there's a place in the world for everyone. While the mountain may be big, the squirrel is very small; while the mountain can carry entire forests on its back, the squirrel can run freely and crack nuts. Emerson tells us that all of God's creations are equal and that each one of them has a place on Earth. As we know that fables often mirror humanity, Emerson also extends the moral message to us, stating that each person on Earth is worthy in their own way, with their own set of talents that make them unique.

Eleanor Ross Taylor - 'Kitchen Fable'

'Kitchen fable' (1991) is a modern example of an object fable. Let's read through the poem and then think about what the fable could be telling us.

This fable describes the life of a fork living with a knife. She is constantly scratched and cut by the knife, presumably as someone eats their food and clashes the two utensils together. Eventually, so much time passes that the knife becomes dull, and the fork develops a coat of patina (green film).

Fable examples

Want to learn more? Here's a list of fables for further reading!