A fábula, um género alegórico de proverbial sabedoria

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline the original and distinctive characteristics of the fable as a literary genre. We review the development of the fable concept, referring to some fundamental stages in Western culture, specifically focussing on the Greek, Medieval and Renaissance periods. La Fontaine’s interpretation of the fable and the ensuing intense literary debate contributed to the emergence of a common European cultural consciousness. We develop here an analysis and interpretation of the formal and ideological specificity of the fable as an allegorical genre, using critical myth analysis and interpretation methods. This study also presents some of the most popular fables in Portugal, their moral lessons and the cultural connotations of their main characters. The research connects the fable with other allegorical genres and the most traditional and popular form: the proverb.