Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part A

As I was reading these, I thought about how I wanted to retell fables in a high school setting (if I did fables for my storybook) and it made me start sorting the animals into human stereotypes. The lion is the jock that can either be scary or watch out for you, the wolf is the bully, the deer is that one guy who thinks he's God's gift to women, and so on and so on. The only one I have trouble putting in one stereotype is the fox because he's manipulative but also spits wisdom. All in all I really enjoyed the fables and I can't wait to read Part B!

The Four Oxen and the Lion

The classic lesson of "united we stand, divided we fall." It's a classic for a reason, though, and this telling of it is the perfect combination of short and sweet to really drive the lesson home. This story is perfect for retelling in the way I want to retell fables in my storybook. The only thing holding me back from telling it this week is that I may want to use it in my storybook if I decide to do fables. 

The Fox and the Stork

This story is literally the definition of petty high school drama and I love it! Literally the lesson is "there are games two can play at" what is better than that?! I would totally retell this by having a popular girl be nice to the "nerdy" girl and then turn on her causing the "nerdy" girl to seek her revenge.

(Photo from Pinterest)

Fox Fables in General

All of the fox fables are just amazing! I kind of want to do my storybook on just fox fables now because they are all so good and unique and have really great lessons! The fox isn't always a trickster but sometimes he's just very wise as seen in the The Fox and the Mask or The Fox and the Lion. A lot of the fox fables are lessons I learned in high school or as a teenager and they could so easily be retold in that setting. 

The One-Eyed Doe

I really liked this story even if it is improbable. It would be a very good story to retell, but I think it would be very difficult due to it's "thought experiment" like nature. The fact that it has two messages ("you can't escape your fate" and "you must watch all your sides") could change how it is written a little bit. If anyone does retell this story I would love to read it!

Bibliography. Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs; link to the reading online.