The Fables of Aesop

by Aesop

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Pages: 97

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About this book

An orchard, an ox-stall and encounters between animals become small stages for human habits in these fables. Joseph Jacobs retells a selection of stories associated with Aesop in language intended for children. A fox tries to reach grapes high on a vine, a peacock asks Juno for a finer voice, and a horse turns to a hunter for help against a stag. Each brief tale moves towards a pointed lesson about conduct, judgment or self-interest.

The collection also offers a history of the fable and notes about the origins of individual stories. In his preface, Jacobs explains that the tales survive in different versions and describes his freedom to choose and retell them. Readers can enjoy the compact animal stories on their own, then turn to the introductory discussion for an account of how such tales passed between cultures and became attached to Aesop's name.

About the author

Aesop

Aesop was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day.