word choice - What's the difference between a fable and a parable?


Does either imply a lesson, or a fantastical setting?



Answer



My understanding is that a fable involves (speaking) animals or other mythical creatures, while a parable does not. A moral is typical for both genres.


Wikipedia is more accurate in its wording:



A fable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates a moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.


A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.



Merriam-Webster basically agrees, but has a few points to add:



parable: example; specifically: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle


fable: a fictitious narrative or statement: as
a: a legendary story of supernatural happenings
b: a narration intended to enforce a useful truth; especially: one in which animals speak and act like human beings
c: falsehood, lie



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