| Abstract [eng] |
Fables by Aesop (ca. 560 BC), La Fontaine (AD 1621–1695) and Ivan Krylov (AD 1769–1844) are not “fairy-tales for children” placed in the library on the shelf “children’s literature”, but rather communicational games of adults. Human vices have been disclosed and highlighted in fables by La Fontaine, his example was followed by I. Krylov creating independent plots of fables (not using plots of Aesop’s and La Fontaine’s fables) about the war of 1812, they record the vices of French Emperor Napoleon, Russian Tsar Alexander I, Admiral Chichagov. These small communicational historical factual messages evidence certain real facts. The object of the Thesis focuses on the comparative analysis of fables by three fable writers living in different periods (Aesop, La Fontaine and I. Krylov). Creative works of the aforementioned fable writers are only revealed after in-depth analysis of allegorical meanings. Fables of each of the authors are characteristically different because they reflect the culture of their nation, religion, i.e. the spirit of the nation. The research problem of the Master’s Thesis is the fables by Aesop because majority of them have been altered; a changed allegorical character in a fable distorts its essence. La Fontaine has changed characters created in Aesop’s fables, e.g. in a fable “Olive and Reed” he has altered the Olive with an Oak. His example was followed by I. Krylov, too, as he has translated his first fables from the French language (fables by La Fontain). Searching for the most exact translation of Aesop’s fables, we found them in the Bible, the Book of Siracides. This discovery allows understanding Aesop as a personality, knowing his religious views, attitudes. For instance, in the Bible, the Book of Genesis, Moses indicated which animal was clean and which not (which one was solar, and which chtonic). It is reflected in Aesop’s fables; we can state that this is a corner stone of Aesop’s fables which holds the essence of the entire fable. Through his solar and chtonic characters in fables Aesop attempted to prove that it was impossible to alter human nature: once born a worm will not fly like a bird. His fables urged people talk, discuss on human vices, i.e. Aesop’s fable acted like a cold medium raising discussions (reflected the features of the period). Allegory in Aesop’s fables creates an altered world which is revealed through application of a myth to an allegorical character. The underlying story by an allegorical character points out human vices which are not directly mentioned in Aesop’s fables. La Fonaine, re-creating Aesop’s fables, made them more understandable to a little-educated audience because appropriate knowledge is needed to understand the role of an allegorical character in a fable. He put human vices at the surface, highlighted them in order everyone would be disgusted, would condemn the ill-behaving, force them to remain silent. Fables by La Fontaine acted as a hot medium forcing the ill-behaving (listeners, readers) to seal their mouths and not discuss who is right and who is obviously wrong, e.g. in a fable Oak is a relentless and arrogant judge, he has not deserved neither respect nor honour or sympathy, therefore he received reckoning. La Fontain was creating his fables in the beginning of Classicism and strictly followed the requirements posed to the fiction of the epoch: glorification of nature’s sublime, harmony, random elements etc.; whereas I. Krylov was writing in the end of the Classicism period, he accepted (learnt) from La Fontaine the ability to create beauty of narration inside a fable: to include folklore elements, make a fable become a little drama or comedy. In his fables, human vices are pointed out, emphasised like in La Fontaine’s fables. The essential difference between fable writers lies in the following: in Aesop’s fables human vices dominate, act as a cold medium urging people discuss, talk about various vices, evils because they are not directly laughed at like in fables by La Fontaine or I. Krylov where human vices are uncovered, representatives of the highest stratum of the society are laughed at, these act like a hot medium forcing the ill-behaving keep silent, become shy. An interesting fact states that all three fable writers were a kind of rebels, seekers for the truth. Aesop was accused without a reason for a theft because he gave no presents to representatives of Delphi sent by the King of Persia and was thrown over with stones. Whereas La Fontaine was so eagerly defending Nicole Fuke (French Minister of Finances at that time) with his odes that he was forced to escape from Paris to Limoges. I. Krylov also received some disgrace from Russian Tsar’s wife, therefore he escaped to Riga. I. Krylov, like La Fontaine, started writing fables at the approximate age of thirty. The fable writers under investigation have radiated an enormous amount of energy of their culture while teaching the humankind wisdom; therefore, their names are not to be forgotten until the present day. |
