The Fables of Phaedrus

The Fables of Phaedrus

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The Fables of Phaedrus
By Phaedrus (c. 15 BC - c. AD 50)

The fable is a small narrative, in prose or verse, which has as its main characteristic
the aim of conveying a moral lesson (the “moral”), implicitly or, more normally,
explicitly expressed. Even though the modern concept of fable is that it should have
animals or inanimate objects as characters - an idea supported by the works of
famous fabulists such as Aesop and La Fontaine - Phaedrus, the most important
Latin fabulist, is innovative in his writing. Although many of his fables do depict
animals or objects assuming speech, he also has many short stories about men,
writing narratives that seem to the modern eye more like short tales than fables.

Despite many other fables being attributed to Phaedrus, only five books are
considered by scholarship to have been written by him. Phaedrus’ five books of
fables are here presented in a translation to English prose by Henry Thomas Ridley.
(Summary by Leni)

Read by Leni. Total running time: 01:55:32. In addition to the reader, this audio
book was produced by Stav Nisser (dedicated proof-listener) and Sarah Jennings
(meta-coordinator & cataloging).

This recording is in the public domain and may be reproduced, distributed, or modified without
permission. For more information or to volunteer, visit librivox.org. Cover image by Kate Greenaway
(d. 1901). Copyright expired in US, Canada, EU, and all countries with author’s life +70 yrs laws.
Cover design by Janette Brown. This design is in the public domain.

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