Main differences between STORY and FÁBULA

Many times, we can confuse some literary subgenres because they can share common characteristics and elements. However, it is important to know exactly what each of these texts is like in order to understand them better. This is what happens with tales and fables, two narrative subgenres that share some elements but also have very notable differences. So that you better know what each one of them consists of, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk to you about the difference between story and fable more prominent and, later, other significant differences that will help you to differentiate them more quickly and easily.

Index

1. Definition of tale
2. What is a fable: simple definition
3. Main differences between story and fable

Before starting to analyze what is the difference between a story and a fable, it is important that we know well the definition of each of these narrative subgenres. When we speak of a story, we are referring to a

Depending on the plot and the style of the story, we find different typologies: epic tales, fairy tales, scary tales, historical tales and a long etcetera. The stories can be of many themes and address very diverse topics, as diverse as literature encompasses. It is also important to know the differences between short story and novel to understand what each of these texts is like as they have common elements that can confuse us.

Characteristics of the stories

In order to better understand the nature of the story, it is important that we make a list with the characteristics of the story and, thus, we can see more broadly what are the main elements of this kind of storytelling.

• Brevity: it is characterized by being a literary text shorter than the novel and, therefore, with simpler plots and fewer characters.
• Characters: there are not many secondary characters, normally in the story the protagonist, the antagonist and the occasional character appear. But the amount is very low due to the short length of the narrative.
• An action: Usually, the story only revolves around a main plot. There are usually no subplots since the brevity of the text would prevent a good resolution of all conflicts.
• Oral origin: the stories appeared for the first time orally and, over the years, they were reflected in the written language. But its origin is popular and oral.
• The importance of the end: the brevity of these texts forces the final plot to be surprising and eye-catching, which is why stories usually have unexpected twists or unexpected messages at the end of the narrative.

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Now, before talking about the difference between a story and a fable, it is important that we also know what exactly is a fable. It has some characteristics that it shares with the story, such as that it is a short narrative with a main plot and the participation of few characters. However, the characteristic element of the fable is that it is intended for didactic purposes and, so that the message is clear, the narration concludes with a final moral as a summary.

In addition to this, another characteristic of this narrative subgenre is that the characters are not human: They are usually animals or objects that are personified with qualities typical of human beings. This is how we find dogs, ants or tables that carry out the main action.

Fables characteristics

As a summary, we are going to list the main characteristics of the fable here so that you can understand better what this type of narration consists of and intuit what are the main differences between a story and a fable. The most outstanding characteristics of a fable are:

• Didactic intention: it is a type of narrative text that fulfills an educational and didactic function. The goal of your writing is to convey a specific knowledge or idea.
• Specially designed for children: Due to their didactic nature and the nature of their characters, fables are usually written for a children's audience with the aim of transmitting an idea about ethics, morals, respect, coexistence, etc.
• Final moral: so that the content of the fable is not lost, this type of text usually contains a moral that is placed at the end as a summary. Here, everything learned during reading is emphasized.
• Non-human characters: is another of the most peculiar characteristics of the fable and is that the characters are never human persons but that, most of the time, they are animals that appear personified, that is, with qualities typical of the humans. They can also feature objects or materials that will have personified qualities.

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Now that you know each of the literary subgenres better, we are going to dive right in and talk to you about the difference between story and fable. As you have seen, the two texts share some characteristics, such as, for example, that they are short stories and that, therefore, have a simpler structure and elements than the novel. However, despite its obvious similarities, it also has important differences that we will summarize here:

• End of story: in the case of the fable, the narrative ends with a moral that is included as a teaching or moral summary of the story. In the case of the story, the ending does not fulfill any didactic intention but the only thing it seeks to do is surprise the reader with an unexpected and surprising twist.
• Characters: in the story, the characters can be of any type (fantastic, real, legendary, etc.); but in the fable, the characters are always either animals or inanimate beings that have human qualities.
• Purpose of the text: In the case of the fable, as we have seen, the purpose is didactic, to expose knowledge or to give an example of a mode of conduct. In stories, the only purpose that is pursued is literary, that is, to tell a story using the resources of this subgenre.
• Type of audience: As a general rule, a fable is a text specially designed for children as it contains a message and a teaching. The stories, however, can be for both children and adult audiences.

Image: Slideshare

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