A Brief History of Fables: From Aesop to Flash Fiction (Brief Histories) - Tapa blanda

Críticas

Aesop, the Greek 'anti-philosopher' who was flung off a cliff by humour-challenged Delphians, is a kind of literary Socrates: all subsequent literature can be read as Aesopian footnotes or variations. So argues Rourke energetically, as he whisks us past the fabulists Phaedrus, Odo of Cheriton, Marie de France, Romi (the deeply amusing Sufist) and Fontaine, then through Kafka, Joyce and Borges, and up to cultish modern 'microfiction' and 'flash fiction'. --The Guardian

Reseña del editor

Discussing rising stars of contemporary fiction including Jonathan Lethem in addition to cherished classics including Aesop and Kafka, this groundbreaking work outlines the reemerging significance of fables in modern culture

From the earliest of classical narratives to modern day e-zines, literary works have long been turned to political, didactic, and symbolic ends. Tracing the long history of a form currently enjoying a resurgence online and in the works of some of the most talented young authors in print, author and literary critic Rourke here considers the permutations of the form. From Aesop's tortoise and hare and Plato's socio-political works to Kafka's anthropomorphism and present-day authors such as Blake Butler, Joseph Young, Shane Jones, and Jonathan Lethem, this book explores an emergence from modernism and how, in its aftermath, fables?the briefest of narratives given the most expansive of significations?have gained in popularity. From readers interested in learning more about well-loved fairytales to those considering the hot topic of post-postmodernism, here is a bold take on a new face of literature everyone is sure to enjoy.