Animal tale, Beast fable
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- | All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. | + | |
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- | The '''beast fable''', usually a short story or poem in which [[animal]]s talk, is a traditional form of [[allegorical]] writing. It is a type of [[fable]], in which human behaviour and weaknesses are subject to scrutiny, by reflection into the animal kingdom. | + | |
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- | Important traditions in beast fables are represented by the ''[[Panchatantra]]'' and ''[[Kalila and Dimna]]'' (Sanskrit and Arabic originals), [[Aesop]] (Greek original), ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]'' (''Arabian Nights'') and separate [[trickster]] traditions (West African and Native American). The medieval French ''[[Roman de Reynart]]'' is called a '''beast-epic''', with the recurring figure Reynard the fox, of whom story is built upon story. | + | |
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- | Beast fables are typically transmitted freely between languages, and often assume pedagogic roles: for example Latin versions of Aesop were standard as elementary textbook material in the European Middle Ages, and the [[Uncle Remus]] stories brought trickster tales into English. | + | |
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- | A more recent example, in English literature, was [[George Orwell]]'s allegorical novel ''[[Animal Farm]]'', in which various political ideologies were personified as animals, such as the Stalinist Napoleon Pig, and the numerous "sheep" that followed his directions without question. | + | |
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Current revision
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