Allegory, Fable, Parable, Exemplum and Proverb

Simplified - Lecture Notes by - Anil Awad

I) Allegory:

Allegory is a kind of narrative prose or poetry which has double meaning….primary or surface meaning and deep or underneath (implied) meaning. Thus, the Scale stands for Justice, Lion for Bravery, Horse for Youthfulness, Eagle for Perfection and many more. There are two kinds of allegories – historical or political allegory and allegory of ideas.

• In historical or political allegory the characters (persona) and actions (events) are identical. Thus, in Dryden’s ‘Absalom and Achitophel’, the Biblical King David represents Charles II and Absalom as his son Duke of Monmouth. The events of rebellion run parallel in both plots.

• In allegory of ideas, the abstract ideas like Love, Faith, Sin, Hope, Despair etc. are personified. They operate in the plot like living human being defending the idea which associated to them. Thus, John Bunyan’s ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ is an allegory about Christian Salvation and we have characters like Christian (Everyman), Hopeful, Faithful, Giant Despair etc.

Some example of Allegory: the Morality Play – ‘Everyman’, Edmund Spencer’s ‘The Faerie Queen’, Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, Chaucer’s ‘House of Fame’, William Langland’s ‘Piers Plowman’ Goethe’s ‘Faust: Part II’, Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Dynast’, etc.

II) Fable (Animal Fable):

Fable is a short narrative prose or verse in which animal or inanimate things are normally the characters and talk like human beings. The function of the fable is to impart the Moral Lessons and usually it is stated at the end of the story through one of the characters in the form of epigram (e.g. A Friend in Need is Friend Indeed). The fable represents the worthiness of the abstract ideas like love, hope, desire, deception, feigns, decisiveness etc. and tries to modify the human behaviour, in fair way. In Indian literature the Ancient Stories from ‘Panchtantra’ and ‘Jatak Katha’ are the best examples of Indian Fable. The stories of ‘Arabian Nights’ and Leo Tolstoy’s short stories for children are also the examples of Fable.

Other examples are Chaucer’s ‘Nun’s Priest’s Tale’, John Thurber’s ‘Fables for Our Time’ (1940) and even George Orwell’s satire ‘Animal Farm’ is also a fable.

III) Parable:

Parable means an exemplary story. Life-like stories are told to teach morality and they run parallel with the present situation. Gospel is the best example of Parable, used to teach Christian Principles.

IV) An Exemplum:

A situational/eventual example is provided to teach the morality. The device is popular in the Middle Ages and the clergies used exemplum through their sermons to teach morality (Christianity) to the contemporary society. Thus, Chaucer’s ‘The Pardoner’s Tale’ preaches the theme ‘Greed is the root of all evil.’

V) Proverb: A statement of widely accepted truth about everyday life. For example ‘A thousand miles journey begins with a single step’.

How to remember:

1. Allegory: two types – historical/political and allegory of ideas. The objects or ideas stands for elaborative motives.

2. Fable: Animals or inanimate things are character…teach morality…epigram.

3. Parable: Exemplary story…Gospel.

4. Exemplum: Situational example…religious sermons…medieval age.

5. Proverb: A widely accepted truth about everyday life.

Thanks.

Anil S Awad

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