An apologue is a short story with animals or objects that have human motives, actions, and words, intended to convey a moral. It is an ancient form of storytelling found in cultures worldwide. Aesop was a famous fabulist who used fables to comment on the powerful and wealthy. Later writers expanded on Aesop’s works, and modern authors have used the form for their purposes. The goal is to provide listeners with wisdom that can be applied in any similar situation.
“Apologue” is a literary term for a short story intended to convey a moral, better known as a fable. Such a story will often feature animals or inanimate objects possessing human motives, actions, and words. The goal of an apologue is to provide listeners with some wisdom that can be applied in any similar situation. It is an ancient form of storytelling known to cultures around the world. In modern times, writers still use apologists for whimsical illustrations of human nature.
The earliest surviving fable is believed to be the parable of Jotham, which may have originated in the 13th century BC. This ancient Jewish tale is recorded in the Old Testament Book of Judges. The trees of the world seek a king, but the only tree that will take the job is the jujube, known to crowd out other plants with its root growth. This was Jotham’s warning that people seeking leadership roles often have their own reasons for doing so. The subsequent parables, like those of the New Testament, use exclusively human characters and more direct symbolisms, which differentiate them from fables or apologues.
The best-known fabulist, or storyteller, was Aesop, a Greek slave who lived around 600 BC Scholars have speculated that slaves used fables so as not to risk infuriating their masters with comments about the powerful or the wealthy. These people feature prominently in Aesop’s fables, such as “The Goose Lays Golden Eggs”. A poor peasant becomes rich when his goose lays golden eggs; he eagerly kills the goose to see if there is more gold inside him, but only succeeds in ending his windfall. Like many apologists, the lesson about human nature and greed is as true today as it was in Aesop’s time.
Many later writers expanded on Aesop’s works or created fables of their own. Their appeal was summed up by the French fabulist Jean de la Fontaine, who wrote: “We yawn at sermons, but gladly we turn/To moral tales, and so amused we learn.” Philosophers and theologians such as Martin Luther agreed that the fable was a useful tool for moral instruction. These stories were often spread as folktales, such as the “Reynard the Fox” stories of medieval Europe. British poet Geoffrey Chaucer borrowed one of Reynard’s stories for his masterpiece Canterbury Tales.
Modern authors have used the apologue form for their own purposes. Joel Chandler Harris transcribed the popular stories of 19th century America for his Uncle Remus books. Like Aesop, the original tellers of these stories had been slaves. George Orwell created the most famous modern fairy tale with his book Animal Farm, a warning against communism and totalitarianism. Humorists James Thurber and David Sedaris have used fairy tales to portray the average person’s anguish in an increasingly complicated modern world.
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