Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Aesop's Fables

Aesop's Fables Goodreads Synopsis:    As legend has it, the storyteller Aesop was a slave who lived in ancient Greece during the sixth century B.C. His memorable, recountable fables have brought amusing characters to life and driven home thought-provoking morals for generations of listeners and modern-day readers. Translated into countless languages and familiar to people around the world, Aesop’s fables never tarnish despite being told again and again. 

This collection presents nearly 300 of Aesop’s most entertaining and enduring stories from The Hare and the Tortoise and The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse to The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs and The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Populated by a colorful array of animal characters who personify every imaginable human type from fiddling grasshoppers and diligent ants to sly foxes, wicked wolves, brave mice, and grateful lions;these timeless tales are as fresh and relevant today as when they were first created. 

Full of humor, insight, and wit, the tales in Aesop's Fables champion the value of hard work and perseverance, compassion for others, and honesty. They are age-old wisdom in a delicious form, for the consumption of adults and children alike.


My Thoughts:

-    I'm sure everyone has heard an Aesop tale or two.  They are so common, yet not a lot of people know it is an Aesop fable.

-    Some of my favorites are:  The Peacock and the Crane, Mercury and the Woodman, The Ass The Fox and The Lion, The Crow and The Pitcher, The North Wind and The Sun, The Bear and the Travelers, The Bee and Jupiter, Father and Sons, The Two Bags, The Blacksmith and His Dog, The Farmer and The Fox, The Farmer and The Viper, The Lion and The Hare, The Crow and The Raven, and The Miser.

-    Some of the fables were a little hard to understand because I don't have a vast knowledge of Roman mythology or places.

-    These are the classic comedy or tragedy type tales.

-    There is a lot of wisdom and great advice in these little fables.  I loved pondering the message of a lot of them.

-    I really enjoyed reading these.  

-    I liked how Aesop used animals to explain people and their demeanors.  He was a clever guy.

-    I would have loved to me Aesop.  He would have been a fun person to hang out with.

-    I love how these Barnes and Noble Classics have added information on the authors and time period.  I also liked the little glossary at the end.  It helped me.

2 comments:

  1. I've never read Aesop's Fables other than a story or two that I read in school. Have you read the original Hans Christian Anderson stories? I feel like Aesop and Anderson are collections I need to read.

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    1. I've read a lot of Anderson's, but not all. I want to read them all though, and the Grimm Tales too.

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