The birthplace of Aesop’s Fables originated in ancient Greece and is widely speculated to have been written by a slave named Aesop. Many critics over time have questioned the true original author of this book, however, they seem to agree that Greece is the actual geographical location of its birth. The specific version of Aesop’s Fables discussed in this essay started with a man named George Fyler Townsend, who began the process of recreating the book by translating it into English and publishing it in 1870. Townsend’s Aesop’s Fables represents a collection of translated stories that highlight morals above anything else, and these morals reflect the values that Townsend considered to be the most important to transmit from Aesop’s original version in Greek to the English-speaking people of his time. Throughout the book’s life, its most notable …show more content…
feature is the fact that Townsend started the trend of writing a moral at the end of each fable. According to The Saturday Review, a newspaper published in 1867, Townsend first began his practice of stating morals after the fables in a previous version of Aesop’s Fables written by Samuel Croxall and in which Townsend was the editor. Townsend is credited for creating and successfully executing this trend, which is still present today in other fables. Without this addition, the book would have only served as a direct translation of a previous work, however, Townsend was able to innovate a new way of telling the fables without changing anything that would make the stories seem unrecognizable. This new feature also differentiated Townsend’s version of Aesop’s Fables from others. One major difference between Townsend’s translation and previous or even newer versions of Aesop’s Fables is the fact that Townsend used the title of Three Hundred Aesop’s Fables. However, the cover of the book does not include the ‘Three Hundred’ part of the title, but a library stamp inside the book reveals the full title. This decision brings up the possibility of Townsend’s serious tone throughout the book. The seriousness of the book can be shown through Townsend himself and his profession as a reverend, which allows the book to be treated as a piece of literature with value to the lives of readers. Despite several illustrations throughout the pages, the use of black and white instead of color indicates the serious tone which the book conveys overall. It also makes it seem as if the targeted audience were adults instead of children, although there is little evidence within the copy of the book that indicates Townsend's intended audience in any concrete way, other than the illustrations of animals. Although, the importance of the messages within these fables may not have been as relevant as they once were, or the book might be still circulating. The book gives off a serious tone as a whole, but the other projects of Townsend as well as the book’s publishers, the Mcloughlin Brothers, reveal a more complex historical association. The use of illustrations throughout the book seems to point to children as the intended audience, however, the drawings are in black and white, which leans toward a more sombre and adult tone overall, which children might not immediately be drawn to. Laura Wasowicz, author of an article on the McLoughlin Brothers on the American Antiquarian Society website, explains that the McLoughlin Brothers “pioneered the systematic use of color printing technologies in children's books.” This major aspect of the publishing company makes figuring out the intended audience more complicated while showing that publishing a book without colored illustrations was atypical for the McLoughlin brothers. The book could have remained in circulation after its publication as it has elements that would appeal to both adults and children through its use of illustrations, despite the lack of color. Townsend’s Aesop’s Fables shares many similar aspects to other versions of the book, and the most prominent common aspect is the drawing of a fox on the cover.
Perhaps the illustration of the fox near the grape vines on the cover of Townsend’s book acts as a homage to previous title covers, as many other versions depict images of foxes, and someone involved in the creation of this version decided that this was the best image to display. The other possibility may be that there is a story that centers around the fox that has been in the fables and has a certain reputation of being either the most popular character or a character that is a part of one of the best messages. There is an urban legend that the fox is an immortal sentient being who leaps from book to book when a new image of it is added to a newer version of Aesop’s Fables and the new fox adds a modern fable to the collection. It is highly probable that the image of the fox is used in order to connect to previous versions as since Townsend translated the fables literally from the Greek, it is likely that he wanted to stay as true to the original version as
possible. In chapter four of her book The Imprint of Gender: Authorship and Publication in the English Renaissance, Wendy Wall describes that the “author is the ultimate origin and governing force for a text” (Wall, 64). Regarding Townsend’s translated fables, Wall’s statement becomes more complicated for many reasons. If the original author of Aesop’s Fables, whose existence is often debated, were considered to be the “ultimate origin” as Wall describes, then it might lessen the importance of Townsend’s translations and revisions. Yet, at the same time, Wall’s statement makes the link between Townsend’s translation and the original author of Aesop’s Fables much stronger, as it is true that the original Aesop’s Fables had a lasting impression on how newer versions of it were made, including Townsend’s book. By translating the fables directly from Greek, as described on the title page, it is likely that Townsend held great respect for the ways in which the fables were already written, and by presenting them as true to the original form as possible, he continues to tell the fables in a mostly authentic way. During the time of its publication in the 1860’s, Townsend’s book was reviewed in a newspaper called The Saturday Review. The newspaper was mostly concerned with comparing Townsend’s translations to a previous version of Croxall’s Aesop in which Townsend disappointed in his role as editor. The article states that “Apart from the question of literality, there is little fault to find in this latest translation” and that “Had it not claimed to be literal, it might have had as much right to the prefix of Aesopian as most of the Greek prose collections.” Overall, Townsend’s book seems to have been received safely, without including too many mistakes or risks. The main problem in the review centers around its “literality,” and although this is one of Townsend’s major claims in the book, it did not seem to stir up a large amount of disappointment. The reception of Townsend’s book was lacking in some areas, but not enough to completely damage its continuation, as shown through the fact that people are still interested in aspects of this book, especially today. The copy of Townsend's Aesop's Fables finished its life in the Special Collections section of Allen Library. The book had evidence of many previous readers, as the cover, binding, and pages were slightly worn and faded, while a few readers marked their names inside. It is clear through the book’s worn appearance as well as a presence on the inside of previous readers that this book was important, especially in a local library at one point. The fact that this book concluded its life in a special collections library is evidence enough to show how valuable this book has been and still is, as special collection libraries maintain rare and archival materials. Townsend helped secure the success of his translated book of fables by allowing readers to understand the fables in English. As there are many new and more updated versions of Aesop’s Fables as well as other types of fables being published now, it seems as though George Fyler Townsend’s version ended its life cycle in a special collections library because the fables are becoming less relevant and more outdated with time. The book is still present and has opportunities as well as the potential to be examined and studied further through its preservation in the Allen Library.
In this essay I will compare and contrast the qualities and plights of both Aeneas and Gilgamesh. These two epic heroes share similar fates, yet are very different in personality.
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales became one of the first ever works that began to approach the standards of modern literature. It was probably one of the first books to offer the readers entertainment, and not just another set of boring morals. However, the morals, cleverly disguised, are present in almost every story. Besides, the book offers the descriptions of the most common aspects of the human nature. The books points out both the good and the bad qualities of the people, however, the most obvious descriptions are those of the sinful flaws of humans, such as greed and lust.
Around the time where Greece was known to be the greatest civilization on earth, many people used myths and stories as an extension of their belief because they were culturally significant and important. Ancient Greece was a male-dominated civilization that created laws which would benefit only those with power, which let to the suffering of those without power. The relationship of the sexes was very important, because it showed how men were more superior and woman were frowned upon because they were treated more like minorities. Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon” is about a Greek king who would do anything, including sacrificing his daughter, because he feels as a man and a king whatever decisions he makes are always just. Sophocles’ “Antigone” is about a girl who goes against the religious values of the society, and get persecuted because state laws restrict her
Tragedy; it’s inevitable. In life, everyone is bound to experience a rough time. These rough times and flaws are what test a hero and build character. Someone experiencing hard times transforms an average person and his mistakes into something remarkable and heroic. What characteristics make a him a tragic hero rather than just an ordinary person? A hero is a person who is admired for courageous acts, noble qualities and outstanding achievements. Despite possessing the same qualities as an ordinary hero, a tragic hero, who is born a noble birth and usually male, has a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his ruin. The hero 's flaws can range vastly. Tragically, however, the flaws possessed with eventually ruin the person 's reputation and also
Through studying Shakespeare’s and Cinthio’s Othello, I explored the concept of ‘The Moor’. ‘The Moor’ is a disrespectful and racist term , often used by white Europeans referring to arabs and blacks, and people of other races with relatively dark skin, such as Othello. During Shakespeare’s time, blacks are considered to be outsiders and are inferior to white people. In Cinthio’s work, it stated that moors are hot-headed as evident in this quote ‘you moors are of so hot a nature that every little trifle moves you to anger and revenge’ which is evident that moors are hot-headed. In scene 1 of the play, Iago told Desdemona father that his daughter was robbed by a thief, Iago uses metaphor to describes Othello as a “black ram”. Desdemona’s father was shocked that his daughter will fall in love with a black man. He believed that Othello must have use some magic to make his daughter fall in love with him; as there is social class difference at that time and it is unimaginable that a white woman will love a black men.
Oedipus, by Sophocles, was written around 441 B.C. Sophocles’ story is considered a Greek tragedy. Aeschylus is the person who coined the term, but “it was Sophocles who brought it to perfection” (Struck). Oedipus is one of the most famous classical dramas, and it is because of Aristotle the story reached that status. Aristotle stated his opinions in his book Poetics, which made it popular (Thorburne 384). In the story, Oedipus displays hubris when he defies the gods and runs away from his true fate which leads to his downfall.
Othello is noble, tender, and confiding; but he has blood of the most inflammable kind. Unfortunately, Othello was naïve enough to be swayed by Iagos misplaced trustworthiness and the accusations cause the entire play to unfold. Once someone brings up a sense of all his wrong doings, he cannot be stopped by considerations of remorse of pity until Othello has extinguished all that fuels his rage and despair. Othello is described as a “Moor” by his critics (Brabantio, Iago). A “Moor” is a slang word used for the dark skinned appearance of the Muslim people from the northwest part of Africa.
“Introduction to Aesop's Fables.” The Chesterton Review, Feb 6. May 2001 XXVII. 1&2 (2001): 17-20. Print.
The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.
The European Renaissance forever changed the life of the contemporary individual. Explosive advancements in education, technology, and trade broadened geographic and mental horizons; however, in England these developments were paired with population crises of poverty and unemployment. In addition, the increased interaction with foreign cultures fomented by various commercial and diplomatic engagements gave rise to apprehension in English sensibility. Eventually, Christian England would attempt to reshape these ‘strangers’ in their image and modern racial tensions sprung forth. Recursion of the trope of race, under the guise of blackness, heathenry, or even femininity occurs extensively in literary tradition, and especially within Shakespeare’s oeuvre. “There exists in all literature an archetypal figure who escapes both poles of the classic definition – appearing sometimes as hero, sometimes as villain, sometimes as clown…[he] has been named variously the ‘shadow,’ the ‘other,’ the ‘alien,’ the ‘outsider,’ the ‘stranger.’” It is with this borderline figure, mired in ambiguity, that this investigation is concerned: primarily with the stranger as the Moor in Othello, the Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1, and the woman in both.
The plot of Oedipus Rex uses dramatic irony as a key narrative element. From beginning to the end, Sophocles expose the audience to irony. The result is both shocking and devastating for multiple main characters. Oedipus, for example, states the weight of the punishment Laius’ killer will face. This builds irony because Oedipus is Laius’ killer, but he does not realize it yet. As realization of Oedipus’ crime against the Greek gods begins to set in, so does the climax and resolution of the irony. Overall, Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony is integral to both the progress of the play and to its climax.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
Elements of Tragedy in Oedipus Rex It is not the tragic subject matter of the text that is of primary interest but rather the manner in which the plot is developed. The story line progresses as if the reader is "unpeeling an onion. " The tale of King Oedipus is well known. An enraged Oedipus unknowingly slays his father (Laiusq, King of Thebes) and supplants him as monarch and as husband to his own mother (Queen Jocasta).
Aesop’s fables were written around 300 BCE, and originated from Greece (“Aesop par. 6). Although most of the fables are about animals, they display the characteristics of humans. Fables are usually short and easy to comprehend, and all fables have their own morals, however; some fables have more than one. Aesop’s fables may seem childish and pointless, but they were written to point out the flaws and strengths of human beings. Most fables have a central problem that the main character must solve, and have been very important to society as a whole.