An animal tale or beast fable is usually a short story or poem where animals can speak. These stories may also show other human-like traits, such as living in a society similar to humans. This is a traditional type of storytelling that teaches a lesson.
These tales can be understood by looking at how different animals interact, such as predators wanting to eat prey, instead of focusing on people in a certain society. Because of this, readers can understand why the characters act the way they do, even if they come from a different culture. These stories can be enjoyed by people from different times and places, even if they were written long ago.
History
Important traditions in beast fables include 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 of allegories, Roman de Reynart, is called a beast-epic, with the main character Reynard the Fox.
Beast fables are often translated into different languages and used to teach lessons. For example, Latin versions of Aesop's Fables were common educational materials in Europe during the Middle Ages, more than 1,000 years after they were written. Because they focus on animals rather than humans, these stories are easily shared across cultures. The Uncle Remus stories introduced an African-style trickster character named Br'er Rabbit to American culture. Br'er Rabbit is smaller and weaker than most characters he faces, but he uses cleverness to win, similar to tricksters in African folklore, such as Anansi.
20th century
The Peter Rabbit books, first published in 1902, feature different animal characters and each teaches a lesson to children. The Wind in the Willows, published in 1908, is another British children's book from the same time period.
In the 1945 English novel Animal Farm, political ideas are shown through animals, such as Napoleon the pig, who represents a leader, and the sheep, who follow his instructions without questioning. This book was not written for children but for adults who wanted to understand politics after World War II, during a time of fear about communism.
After World War II, other examples of this type of writing include the "Uncle" series (1964–1973) by J. P. Martin and the books by Richard Adams, especially Watership Down, published in 1972.
21st century
Many modern books, films, and video games use animals as characters to tell stories. In American movies, the Academy Award-winning film Zootopia is an example. It is a fable that shows how prejudice and stereotypes can cause problems. The animals in the story face challenges that are similar to those experienced by different racial groups in real life.
The 2017 video game Night in the Woods is a story that represents the experiences of growing up and dealing with challenges in the adult world, including issues related to how money and work affect society.
The 2016 anime Aggretsuko features animal characters who talk and explore themes such as discrimination against women and stress from work.
Cartoons and other media with talking animals are important to the furry fandom, which is a group of people who enjoy animal-themed stories and characters.