Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part A

Part A of this selection of Aesop's fables included a few tales of Lions, Foxes, Asses, Hares, Deer and others. Each story was extremely brief with very plain morals spelled out for the reader.

Certain common themes jumped out at me, such as Appearances/Disguises vs. Reality (Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Ass in Lion's skin, Fox and the Mask, and Dog and Shadow), Security/Safety vs. Greed (Town Mouse & Country Mouse, Horse and Ass, Dog and Shadow), and how the weak will return to prey on the fallen (The sick Lion, The Wolf and the Kid).

Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, Rackham. Source: Wiki Commons

I am surprised at the brevity and simplicity of these stories. I expected (and I suppose hoped for) more substance to the story with more details. These are extremely short with only the most relevant details mentioned.

I am also curious about the translations and the differences between them. For example, In the Fox and the Lion, one moral is "Familiarity breeds contempt" and the other is simply "Familiarity destroys fear."  To breed contempt is a far darker, perhaps unnecessarily so, interpretation.

Bibliogaphy: Jacobs, Aesop's Fables, The UNtextbook.


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