Primary School Classic Reading: Aesop's Fables

Author: Chen Zhanqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Krylov's fables cover a wide range of themes, which can be broadly divided into two categories. One type uses the imagery of fierce animals to portray the cruelty, tyranny, greed, and cunning of the powerful, exposing social flaws. The other falls under the general category of moral instruction. Krylov's fables are concise, vivid, and humorous, making them household names in Russia. He employed and refined a vast number of folk proverbs and sayings, and some of his memorable aphorisms later became new proverbs in their own right. The great revolutionary leader Lenin had a deep fondness for Krylov's fables from a young age and could recite many famous ones. Lenin often quoted Krylov's fables to satirize his opponents. Statistics show that Krylov's fables are cited over fifty times in The Collected Works of Lenin.