A Brief History of Fables: From Aesop to Flash Fiction

by Lee Rourke

Discussing rising stars of contemporary fiction including Jonathan Lethem in addition to cherished classics including Aesop and Kafka, this groundbreaking work outlines the reemerging significance of fables in modern culture From the earliest of classical narratives to modern day e-zines, literary works have long been turned to political, didactic, and symbolic ends. Tracing the long history of a form currently enjoying a resurgence online and in the works of some of the most talented young authors in print, author and literary critic Rourke here considers the permutations of the form. From Aesop's tortoise and hare and Plato's socio-political works to Kafka's anthropomorphism and present-day authors such as Blake Butler, Joseph Young, Shane Jones, and Jonathan Lethem, this book explores an emergence from modernism and how, in its aftermath, fables—the briefest of narratives given the most expansive of significations—have gained in popularity. From readers interested in learning more about well-loved fairytales to those considering the hot topic of post-postmodernism, here is a bold take on a new face of literature everyone is sure to enjoy.

Genres: Flash Fiction, Nonfiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2010

About the author

Lee Rourke is the author of the short-story collection Everyday, the novels The Canal (winner of the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2010), Vulgar Things, and the poetry collections Varroa Destructor and Vantablack. His latest novel Glitch is published by Dead Ink Books. His debut novel The Canal is being adapted to film by Storyhouse Productions, summer 2020. He is Contributing Editor for 3:AM Magazine [www.3ammagazine.com]. He lives by the sea.

Reviews

[Oliver Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in how it draws so many connections to Aesop throughout literary history. Some of them seem tenuous, or lost in the sort of rhapsodic descriptions/appreciations of particular authors. Some paragraphs were so lush or filled with academese as to be impenetrable.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food for thought.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once Rourke leaves older fables (Aesop, Rumi, Caxton) and discusses more modern examples, everything becomes metafiction; stories become primarily about themselves or the nature of stories. If the older fables had been primarily about themselves, they never would have survived as folklore, as popular culture. Metafiction is interesting to a degree, but it cannot sustain literature, and it has limited appeal to broad audiences. Fables may include the nature of storytelling and language among their many topics, but they also are about the world that surrounds their human creators; audiences use them to make sense of their world, but metafiction tends to hide inside itself rather than engage the world of lived experience. It would have been helpful to consider more contemporary examples beyond metafiction.

And frequently the discussion of particular stories makes them seem too precious. Rourke praises their cleverness or inventiveness or insightfulness beyond the evidence that is presented.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I not love this book? It's perfectly done. I have some small quibbles about the contemporary writers he choose to focus on, and I was surprised to see no Richard Brautigan or Aimee Bender, but small concerns. If you're even remotely interested in this topic, this book is a must-read.

[Andrew Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I not love this book! It was perfectly done. I have some small quibbles aboutnthe contemporary writers he focused on and surprised that there was no Richard Brautigan or Aimee Bender, but small complaints. If you have even a remote interest in this subject, you have to read this book.

[Mo Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found out about some fabulous contemporary authors, is the best part. Re-realised Aesop's influence on my own thinking, too.