fable litera
fable literature Print Cite Share Feedback Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Oct 16, 2024 • Article History Key People: Jean de La Fontaine Max Beerbohm Ignacy Krasicki Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Aesop Related Topics: literature beast epic Ysopet beast fable See all related content Ask the Chatbot a Question Fable , narrative form, usually featuring animals that behave and speak as human beings, told in order to highlight human follies and weaknesses. A moral—or lesson for behaviour—is woven into the story and often explicitly formulated at the end. ( See also beast fable .) The Western tradition of fable effectively begins with Aesop , a likely legendary figure to whom is attributed a collection of ancient Greek fables. Modern editions contain up to 200 fables, but there is no way of tracing their ac...