Reading Notes, Week 2 - Anthology : Fables

The reading that interested me most this week were The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894). These are all short and quick to the point, unlike many longer storytellings that seem to focus on adjectives and descriptions to support a more uninteresting plot. The thing I like most is that there is always a moral, and the reader can take something away from each fable. Sometime I feel like stories that do not impact the reader in some way are a waste; looking into the future, I want my own storybook to focus on an issue of today played out by characters that simplify the issue in a symbolic and easy to understand way. Instead of focusing on a single event, meaningful dialogue between two characters can reveal much more, like in The Lion and the Statue, which takes place in just a few sentences, but the lesson is still clear. Because these fables are so short, every word of the dialogue is meaningful. Futher, these fables do not use difficult language (unlike some older Roman tales). One thing I always appreciate as a reader is when a writer does not underestimate the skills of understanding of his or her audience. Little background is given, if any, in these fables, but they are written in a way that the reader can quickly grasp the situation based on the dialogue or actions of the characters. They also end on the climax or right after the "driving home" message. One thing that might be difficult to write in the future is having no boundary between human and animal. In these lion fables, the beast and human communicate as equals. Because of this, I find it harder to associate only with the human. The thoughts of the characters are often not discussed, instead their words are truthful to what they want to convey. Again, dailogue plays a huge part in these fables. Based on what I am invisioning for my own project, it would be more impactful with an all animal cast, or at least have them equal with humans. I am looking forward to getting more ideas from readings in the future!

Image details: Lion and Statue; source: Crane

The Lion and the Statue. Story by Joseph Jacob from The Fables of Aesop (1894). Limericks and illustrations from The Baby's Own Aesop by W. J. Linton and illustrated by Walter Crane (1887). Web Source

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