An animal tale or beast fable generally consists of a short story or poem in which

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s talk. They may exhibit other anthropomorphic qualities as well, such as living in a human-like society. It is a traditional form of allegorical writing. Animal tales can be understood in terms of how animal species relate to each other (for example, predators wishing to eat prey), rather than human groups in a specific society. Thus, readers are able to understand characters' motives, even if they do not come from the same cultural background as the author. Animal tales can be appreciated in times and locations far removed from their origins. For example, Bugs Bunny cartoons are popular outside of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and in the decades since the character's creation, even though many of his catch phrases and mannerisms are references to early 20th-century American films.

History

Important traditions in beast fables are represented by the '' Panchatantra'' and '' Kalila and Dimna'' (Sanskrit and Arabic originals), Aesop (Greek original), '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (''Arabian Nights'') and separate trickster traditions (West African and Native American). The medieval French

cycle Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in soc ...

of allegories, '' Roman de Reynart'' is called a beast-epic, with the recurring figure Reynard the Fox. Beast fables are commonly translated between languages and often used for educational purposes. For example, Latin versions of

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended t ...

were standard educational material in the European

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, over a millennium after they were written. Because of their lack of human social context, animal tales can readily spread from culture to culture. The Uncle Remus stories introduced African-style trickster character Br'er Rabbit to American culture. Br'er Rabbit is smaller and weaker than most characters he encounters, but defeats them with cleverness, similar to tricksters of African folklore, such as Anansi.

20th century

First published in 1902, the Peter Rabbit books follow various animal characters and are each intended to teach a particular moral to children. Bugs Bunny cartoons routinely impart morals. A common story setup presents Bugs minding his own business until another character causes him trouble, at which point Bugs retaliates. The moral of such cartoons could be summarized as "do not cause problems for others unless they have caused problems for you." Many different cultures would consider this a sound philosophy, which makes Bugs a relatable hero to a variety of audiences beyond the one he was originally intended for. In the 1945 English novel '' Animal Farm'', various political ideologies are personified as animals, such as the Stalinist Napoleon Pig, and the numerous "sheep" that followed his directions without question. Rather than being a story for children, this book was intended for adults attempting to understand the new political landscape during the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Red Scare.

21st century

Many modern books, films, and video games can be considered animal tales. In American cinema, there is also the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-winning film, '' Zootopia'', that serves as a fable about

prejudice Prejudice can be an affect (psychology), affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification (disambiguation), classi ...

and stereotypes where the talking animal characters experience both social problems with their species serving as an analogy to racial groups. The 2017 video game Night in the Woods has been cited as an allegory for becoming an adult, as well as for

late-stage capitalism Late capitalism, late-stage capitalism, or end-stage capitalism is a term first used in print by German economist Werner Sombart around the turn of the 20th century. In the late 2010s, the term began to be used in the United States and Canada ...

Aggretsuko ''Aggretsuko'', also known by its original Japanese title , is a Japanese animated comedy streaming television series based on the eponymous character created by "Yeti" for the mascot company Sanrio. The character first appeared in a series of ...

, a 2016

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

, features talking animal characters and examines themes such as misogyny and workplace anxiety. Cartoons and other media featuring talking animals are central to the furry fandom subculture.

History

20th century

21st century

Notes

Further reading