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Folk-lore and Fable
The habit of telling stories is one of the most primitive char-acteristics of the human race. The most ancient civilisations, the most barbarous savages, of whom we have any knowledge have yielded to investigators clear traces of the possession of this practise. The specimens of their narrative that have been gathered from all the ends of the earth and from the remotest times of which we have written record show traces of purpose, now religious and didactic, now patriotic and political; but behind or beside the purpose one can discern the permanent human delight in the story for its own sake.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1909
24 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Aesop
2,347 books1,084 followers620 BC - 564 BC
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 6, 2012
I read many of these as a kid, but they were dumbed down and easier to read. Here the prose is pretty. I particularly enjoyed the stories written by Andersen. He could really pack a lot of action and imagery into a sentence.
The originals vary pretty significantly from the Disney movies made out of them. I read The Little Sea-Maid (Mermaid) to my two youngest, and about two paragraphs from the end when the Mermaid chooses to die and turn to sea foam over murdering the prince, my 6-year-old daughter cried inconsolably for about 10 minutes. She finally let me finish, and we had a nice conversation about hard choices and how really everything turned out okay.
The originals vary pretty significantly from the Disney movies made out of them. I read The Little Sea-Maid (Mermaid) to my two youngest, and about two paragraphs from the end when the Mermaid chooses to die and turn to sea foam over murdering the prince, my 6-year-old daughter cried inconsolably for about 10 minutes. She finally let me finish, and we had a nice conversation about hard choices and how really everything turned out okay.
December 9, 2022
Most of these folk and fable tales were BEAUTIFUL but I was not expecting some of them to be SO MUCH about Christianity. Who was gonna tell me that Anderson and Grimm’s works were almost all centered around Christianity???
July 13, 2010
I read these a few pages a day - fun!
December 24, 2022
Hans was the darker and more vivid of the three. The best ones to read: The Little Sea-Maid, The Nightingale, The Red Shoes, The Angel, Little Idas Flowers, The Garden of Paradise.
March 27, 2022
I always liked Aesop's fables, many more stories which were older versions than I remember. I had a book of these as a kid. Grimm's tales were interesting and longer, including two versions in some cases. My sister had a book of these stories, which I read, too. Anderson's imagination is different yet, and even though my mother read these to us as kids, I can't say I remember any.
Aside, I had a book of Mother Goose rhymes, too, the biggest and longest book I owned at the time. Later, in high school, I had a book called "Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames", which was a kind of spoof of the original, but with nonsensical French words that sounded like the rhymes as spoken with a heavy French accent. I'm just sayin'.
Aside, I had a book of Mother Goose rhymes, too, the biggest and longest book I owned at the time. Later, in high school, I had a book called "Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames", which was a kind of spoof of the original, but with nonsensical French words that sounded like the rhymes as spoken with a heavy French accent. I'm just sayin'.
May 29, 2017
I found this book in one the areas I served in during the course of my LDS mission in Kentucky. This was originally apartment treasure when I found it, and then I decided to take it with me until I was able to return home at the end of my two-year mission.
February 6, 2022
Loved reading again.
February 20, 2025
Fairy tales equivalent to shrek
August 23, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
September 8, 2013
You can tell a lot about a culture by their stories because it shows what they value. Grimm's stories showed that the culture was very different than today. Andersen's stories showed a different culture with a set of value.
One thing I loved about Aesop's fables was that he didn't talk about the way things should be but the way things are. I think the use of animals and other objects in his stories made this easier for him to do.
One thing I loved about Aesop's fables was that he didn't talk about the way things should be but the way things are. I think the use of animals and other objects in his stories made this easier for him to do.
August 30, 2021
Some of these are great stories most readers will recognize from childhood storytime, cartoons, movies, etc. And some of these are HORRIBLE. Less than half of this book was enjoyable. But that's my opinion. Give it a try... because if you don't, you will miss hundreds (possibly thousands) of references to these stories in everyday conversation, speeches, movies, books... life. That's why you read things like this.
May 29, 2011
It is wonderful to revisit this collection. It reminds me just how much things have been adapted and changed from the original written versions of these works.
More importantly, it reminds me just how pliable these story structures are when creative people get a hold of them. There are infinite possibilities in folklore and mythology.
More importantly, it reminds me just how pliable these story structures are when creative people get a hold of them. There are infinite possibilities in folklore and mythology.
June 22, 2021
Good selection of each of greatest fairytale authors.
December 18, 2018
A collection of classic fables that have been transformed into different stories throughout the the world. It’s worth it if you wanna find the original version of those stories.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews