Animal tale  

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"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."--Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell

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An animal tale or beast fable generally consists of a short story or poem in which animals talk. They may exhibit other anthropomorphic qualities as well, such as living in a human-like society. It is a traditional form of allegorical writing.

It is usually a short story or poem in which animals 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.

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.

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.

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.

History

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 cycle of allegories, Roman de Reynart is called a beast-epic, with the recurring figure Reynard the Fox.

Beast fables are commonly translated between languages and often used for educational purposes. For example, Latin versions of Aesop's Fables were standard educational material in the European Middle Ages, over a millennium after they were written. Because of their lack of human social context, animal tales can readily spread from culture to culture. The Uncle Remus stories introduced African-style trickster character Br'er Rabbit to American culture. Br'er Rabbit is smaller and weaker than most characters he encounters, but defeats them with cleverness, similar to tricksters of African folklore, such as Anansi.

20th century

First published in 1902, the Peter Rabbit books follow various animal characters and are each intended to teach a particular moral to children.

Bugs Bunny cartoons routinely impart morals. A common story setup presents Bugs minding his own business until another character causes him trouble, at which point Bugs retaliates. The moral of such cartoons could be summarized as "do not cause problems for others unless they have caused problems for you." Many different cultures would consider this a sound philosophy, which makes Bugs a relatable hero to a variety of audiences beyond the one he was originally intended for.

In the 1945 English novel Animal Farm, various political ideologies are personified as animals, such as the Stalinist Napoleon Pig, and the numerous "sheep" that followed his directions without question. Rather than being a story for children, this book was intended for adults attempting to understand the new political landscape during the post-World War II Red Scare.

21st century

Many modern books, films, and video games can be considered animal tales. In American cinema, there is also the Academy Award-winning film, Zootopia, that serves as a fable about prejudice and stereotypes where the talking animal characters experience both social problems with their species serving as an analogy to racial groups.

The 2017 video game Night in the Woods has been cited as an allegory for becoming an adult, as well as for late-stage capitalism.

Aggretsuko, a 2016 anime, features talking animal characters and examines themes such as misogyny and workplace anxiety.

Cartoons and other media featuring talking animals are central to the furry fandom subculture.






Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Animal tale" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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