A FABLE is seen by many as a classic literary genre. Fables are presented as concise and poignant fantasy stories — told through prose, or even through verse — that feature animals, mystical creatures, and forces of nature that are 'anthropomorphized'. By giving these inhuman characters inherently human qualities (such as the ability to speak, have complex desires, and even to dream), the conflicts and transformations they undergo result in a deeper 'moral lesson' experienced by the reader.
FAIRY TALES, on the other hand, almost always involve an intersection of the human and fantasy worlds. There are still vital lessons to be learned within their pages, but the stories tend to be longer, a bit more complex, and often quite dark. From the famous children's stories of Hans Christian Andersen (The Little Mermaid, to the cautionary tales of The Brothers Grimm (Hansel and Gretel, etc) and Lewis Carol's trippy take on childhood innocence (Alice in Wonderland), right up to the modern yet mythical brilliance of Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Sandman, The Graveyard Book), fairytales were an inevitable and welcome 'evolution' of the fable genre.
Fables are considered to be one of the most enduring forms of folk literature. Since folk tales tended to be brief, the characters archetypal, and the message/moral in each one clearly defined, these earliest fables were spread orally — imagine stories told around the fire by shamans and gypsies and superstitious grandmothers, passed down generation after generation, achieving 'life' in the way that epic myths do. Eventually, these cherished tales found their way into print, becoming some of the earliest works translated and shared between cultures.
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Though there is evidence of fables existing long before established 'civilization' flourished — in tribal African myths, Native American legends, and the oldest sacred texts of India — it was the legendary Aesop of ancient Greece (approx 550 BC) who popularized the form. What began as a set of 'teaching tools' in writing, debate, and public speaking for Aesop's students evolved over centuries into some of the best known stories in history. Sound like an exaggeration? Let me know if you've heard the one about the slow-and-steady Tortoise outracing the arrogant Hare. Or how about the brave little Mouse, who frees a Lion from a hunter's trap to repay the beast for sparing his life? We all know these stories, and many more like them, from childhood.
