The Animal Fable In Modern Literature

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The fable is one of the very early forms of literary writing. As a form it has fascinated writers down the ages from Aesop who lived in 620-564 B.C., the Renaissance writers to the present day fabulists.

The book examines the animal stories of five modern writers: Kipling's Jungle Books, De La Mare's The Three Royal Monkeys, Orwell's Animal Farm, James Thurber's Fables and Further Fables For Our Times and Richard Adams' Watership Down, The Plague Dogs and Traveller.

Any reader who has been captivated by the magic in the fables and animal stories will find in this work interesting observations, strange connections and wonderful insights, as the writer goes on to analyse and plumb the depths of these seemingly simple animal stories.

Marie Fernandes (born 1962) obtained Ph.D. in English Literature from Bombay University. She was awarded the Government Open Merit Scholarship from 1979 to 1984.

Dr. Marie Fernandes is a lecturer in English at St. Andrew's College, Bombay. She is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Bombay. Dr. Fernandes has contributed articles to literary anthologies. Her interests range from Aesthetics and Literary Criticism, Indian English Fiction to Modern writers.

Interest in the animal fable as a means of communicating ideas, be they moral, political or social, can be traced to Aesop who lived in 620-564 B.C. When we go back even further, we find the animal fable used in the folk tales and myths of different nations. Moral instruction which was a very important concern of fable writing is no longer the prime concern of the present day fabulists. With the Renaissance we find that, for the first time, the animal fable was put to one of its finest uses. Animal characters were used allegorically and it thus became an effective vehicle of social and political satire. It still continues to be used today by modern writers.

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) is a renowned twentieth-century writer whose impact on modern literary consciousness is most vividly felt. His novels portray man's fear, isolation and bewilderment in a nightmarish, dehumanized world. He has effectively used animal characters in his fables and short stories, which bring out the dark surreal quality of his writings. This technique that he uses, is part of the modernistic approach to literature. The Metamorphosis deals with Gregor Samsa and his experiences, when he finds himself transformed into a gigantic insect. Investigations of a Dog and The Burrow deal with philosophic musings of animal characters. His shorter stories Jackals and Arabs, The Vulture and A Little Fable also have animal characters.

**Contents and Sample Pages**