Fables, Parables, and Fairy Tales

1. Fables, Parables, and Fairy Tales Mrs. Bonifay OCS English I

2. Genre • Different types of stories can be classified according to genre. • Genre is a particular type or category of literature. • Examples of genre include fairy tales, science fiction, biographies, legends, and fables.

3. Fables • Fables are short stories, many times using animals as characters (anthropomorphism). • Fables illustrate a lesson or moral. • The Lion and the Mouse and The Tortoise and the Hare are examples of fables. Both were written by Aesop, a famous author of fables.

4. Fables

5. Parables • Parables are stories that teach a basic truth or religious principle. • Parables usually involve ordinary people who are faced with a moral decision. • Many folktales from all cultures are in the category of parable. • Examples of a parable are The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Good Samaritan.

6. Parables

7. Fairy Tales • A fairy tale is a story, usually for children, involving fantastic forces and beings (such as fairies, wizards, and goblins) in which improbable events lead to a happy ending. • Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are examples of fairy tales.

8. Fairy Tales

9. Modern Day Fables • Many of Dr. Seuss’ books are considered modern-day fables. For example, Yertle the Turtle would be a fable about the right to freedom for all creatures. • George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a more complex fable-like book, also about freedom, specifically independent thought, truth, and justice. • Both use animals as the main characters. The animals are given human qualities (personification).

10. Modern Day Fables