A short, self-contained prose or verse narrative that teaches a moral, spiritual or philosophical lesson through a simple, concrete story rather than direct statement, distinct from the fable in typically using human rather than animal figures and leaving its lesson to be drawn rather than stated as an explicit moral, found across religious and secular literary traditions worldwide.
Facts
Place of OriginAncient Near East and classical world; attested across Hebrew scripture, the Gospels, rabbinic literature, Buddhist sutras and Sufi teaching stories. 1 StructureA brief, self-contained narrative, usually in plain prose, built around ordinary human situations and characters standing for a larger point the story implies rather than states. 1 Notable ExampleThe Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Parable of the Sower in the Christian Gospels. 1 Connections
Associated With
Kafka wrote numerous short literary parables (for example Before the Law, An Imperial Message) that are canonical examples of the modern parable form.
Form Of Genre
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
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