Genres & Forms
Parable
The parable is a short didactic work of allegorical content in which a generalized moral-philosophical or religious truth is hidden behind a concrete life situation. Unlike the fable, the parable does not always have an openly formulated moral and does not necessarily use animal allegory; it appeals to reflection and demands interpretation. Classic parables are found in the Gospels (the prodigal son, the sower) and in ancient Eastern and classical wisdom. In Ukrainian literature the unsurpassed master of the parable was the philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda, whose dialogues and Kharkiv Fables are built on a parabolic foundation. Parabolic quality also marks modern prose — the works of Valerii Shevchuk — and in world literature Franz Kafka, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince), and Paulo Coelho.
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Compare “Parable” with another term
Meaning, origins and distinction — side by side.
Distinction
Both are short allegorical genres with a moral, but of different register. The fable is usually versified, with animal or object characters, a sharp satirical plot and a directly formulated moral exposing a concrete human vice. The parable is a prose, solemn-philosophical narrative about people, with a hidden spiritual or ethical sense the reader must interpret themselves (the Gospel parables). The fable instructs by ridiculing; the parable instructs by prompting reflection.
