Fairy Stories, Parables and Fables Satire The Importance of the Subtitle

Fairy Tales

Fairy Stories / Tales A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. The term is also used to describe something blessed with unusual happiness, as in "fairy tale ending" (a happy ending) or "fairy tale romance," though not all fairy tales end happily. Fairy tales are a genre in literature. They have their roots in the oral tradition. Fairy tales with very similar plots, characters, and motifs are found spread across many different cultures.

Fables

Fables A fable is a short, pithy animal tale, most often told or written with a moral tagged on in the form of a proverb. Thus to convey a moral is the aim of most fables, and the tale is the vehicle by which this is done, providing both an illustration of and compelling argument for the moral. The oldest known fables are either Aesopic (Greek) in origin, or from Asian (Indian and/or possibly Semitic) roots — both dating back several centuries B.C.E. Fables are stories that feature animals, plants, or forces of nature that have been given human qualities. They teach moral and ethical lessons, like how to behave or how to treat people. Since the main characters are animals, they are a good way to introduce serious topics to children. Each animal represents a particular human fault or virtue, and what happens in the story is directly related to the animal’s personality.

Fables A short allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings. A Fable is a short imaginary tale that teaches a moral or a lesson. The story can be in prose or verse. In a Fable animals often talk and act like people. An author of fables is called a “fabulist” Sometimes they are passed down from generation to generation, and from place to place, and sometimes they are constructed by a literary tale-teller, and its purpose is to impart a lesson or a value. The last sentence usually tells what lesson you can conclude from the fable.

Anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism is a term coined in the mid 1700s to refer to any attribution of human characteristics (or characteristics assumed or believed by some to belong only to humans) to animals or non-living things, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. A form of personification, it is most strongly linked with personifying animals. As a literary device, anthropomorphism is strongly associated with art and storytelling where it has ancient roots. Most cultures possess a long- standing fable tradition with anthropomorphised animals as characters that can stand as commonly recognised types of human behaviour.

History of Anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism, sometimes referred to as personification, is a well established literary device from ancient times. It extends back to before Aesop's Fables in 6th century BC Greece and the collections of linked fables from India, the Jataka Tales and Panchatantra, which employ anthropomorphised animals to illustrate principles of life. Many of the stereotypes of animals that are recognised today, such as the wiley fox and the proud lion, can be found in these collections. Aesop's anthropomorphisms were so familiar by the 1st century AD that they coloured the thinking of at least one philosopher: And there is another charm about him, namely, that he puts animals in a pleasing light and makes them interesting to mankind. For after being brought up from childhood with these stories, and after being as it were nursed by them from babyhood, we acquire certain opinions of the several animals and think of some of them as royal animals, of others as silly, of others as witty, and others as innocent. —Apollonius of Tyana

History of Anthropomorphism Apollonius noted that the fable was created to teach wisdom through fictions that are meant to be taken as fictions, contrasting them favourably with the poets' stories of the gods that are sometimes taken literally. Aesop, "by announcing a story which everyone knows not to be true, told the truth by the very fact that he did not claim to be relating real events". The same consciousness of the fable as fiction is to be found in other examples across the world, one example being a traditional Ashanti way of beginning tales of the anthropomorphic trickster-spider Anansi: "We do not really mean, we do not really mean that what we are about to say is true. A story, a story; let it come, let it go."

Fables 'The Hare and the Tortoise' by Aesop A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue. Slow but steady wins the race.

Task: The Subtitle George Orwell gave his story the subtitle ‘A Fairy Story’. What is a fairy story? Find an example and analyse the techniques used / generic conventions. What is a parable? Find an example and analyse the techniques used / generic conventions. What is a fable? Find an example and analyse the techniques used / generic conventions. Write a brief paragraph that explains the differences between the text types.

Differences A fable is a short narrative in verse or in prose featuring inanimate objects, anthropomorphized animals and plants and mythical creatures which are part of a scenario serving moral purposes. A fairy tale is a short narrative in prose featuring fairies, goblins, gnomes and people with extra powers which are part of a far-fetched sequence of events. Both parables and fables are short stories containing moral lessons for the readers but, whereas parables contain human characters only, fables are known to have talking-animals and plant with even super natural forces. Fables are set in an imaginary world, whereas parables have real humans facing the real world problems. Parables often have spiritual or religious aspect, whereas fables stay away from religion. http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-fable-and-vs-parable/

Satire

Satire Satire - the use of humour and wit with a critical attitude, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule for exposing or denouncing the frailties and faults of mankind’s activities and institutions, such as folly, stupidity, or vice. This usually involves both moral judgment and a desire to help improve a custom, belief, or tradition. Satire began with the early Greek poets when they were supposed to tax weaknesses and correct vice. As a distinct literary form, satire was the creation of the Romans and was subsequently present in many forms of medieval literature. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer used this technique for “The Miller’s Tale” and “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”

Satire The Golden Age of Satire in England was the early Eighteenth Century when Henry Fielding, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, John Gay and others dominated British letters. In the Twentieth Century, satire includes George Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984 which satirised political situations and the status quo, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World which satirised utopian dreams.

Satire... is a type of social criticism. ridicules faults, vices, abuses and social follies. often entertains and amuses us. often challenges us. wants to provoke us. wants to change attitudes and behaviour. wants to stir us into action. tries to bring about SOCIAL CHANGE. IS SERIOUS.

Satirical Techniques Exaggeration To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen. Caricature is the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature. Burlesque is the ridiculous exaggeration of language. For instance, when a character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticated, intelligent language. Incongruity To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony. Parody To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the reader must know the original text that is being ridiculed. Reversal To present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus on the the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus on hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child makes all the decisions for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.

Satire in Shrek Watch scene Find one example of each satirical technique in the clip. Identify the primary comment or criticism about society that is being made by the satirical techniques in this clip from Shrek

Some examples of Satirical Techniques Exaggeration Princess Fiona fights and successfully defeats Robin Hood and all of his Merry Men without any help and without any weapons. Incongruity Princess Fiona uses her ponytail to deliver a knockout punch to one of the Merry Men. While frozen in a mid-air martial arts kick, Princess Fiona pauses to fix her disheveled hair before knocking out two of the Merry Men. Reversal - The roles of the hero and the damsel in distress have been reversed. In this clip, it is Princess Fiona, the rescuee, who fights and defeats the foe. Parody - The fight scene is an exaggerated imitation of the martial arts style and special effects used in movies such as The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Social Criticism The traditional story of the knight rescuing the damsel-in-distress is not a realistic depiction of the roles filled by men and women in modern society. Current Hollywood action movies like The Matrix have become ridiculous because they are too focused on special effects.

Satirise your own Fairy Tale Select a Fairy Tale to satirise. Read this Fairy Tale carefully. Determine your social criticism. Use satirical techniques to develop your social criticism.

The Changing Subtitle Orwell called his book, Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. This is the description given in all editions published by Secker & Warburg and Penguin Books but the Americans dropped A Fairy Story from the outset. (One of the many publishers who declined to publish Animal Farm in Britain and America did so because he considered there was no market for children’s books.) Only in Telugu, of all the translations made in Orwell’s lifetime, was A Fairy Story retained. In other translations the subtitle was dropped or became A Satire, A Contemporary Satire, or was described as an adventure or tale. This subtitle stems from Orwell’s abiding fascination for fairy stories and the like encountered during early childhood, in his work as a teacher, and his time at the BBC.

Fairy Tales and Satire What might be the significance of the subtitle ‘A Fairy Story’? Why might this be useful in developing a satirical text? Is it appropriate to change the subtitle to ‘A Satire?’ Why / Why not? What are some social criticism found within ‘Shrek’? What are some techniques used in Shrek to create satire? Are these effective? Use specific examples. Why might Fairy Tales provide opportunities for Satire? What event is Orwell satirising in his novel ‘Animal Farm?’