The Crow and the Fox (Krylov's fable)

The Crow and the Fox[1] (Russian: Ворона и Лисица, Vorona i Lisica) is a fable by Russian fabulist Ivan Krylov (1769–1844). It was first published in 1808 in the theatrical journal Dramatichesky Vestnik.[2][3]

Background

Krylov drew on an older narrative tradition found in the works of Aesop (The Fox and the Crow), Phaedrus, Babrius, Ignatios the Deacon, Jean de La Fontaine (Le Corbeau et le Renard), Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Alexander Sumarokov and Vasily Trediakovsky. Versions of the plot are widespread in classical and European fable literature.[4][5]

Synopsis

The fable opens with a moral introduction stating that flattery is harmful and dangerous; although everyone is aware of its nature, it still finds its way into people's hearts.

A crow obtains a piece of cheese and sits on a branch in order to eat it. A passing fox notices the cheese and decides to acquire it. The fox flatters the crow, praising her supposed beauty, and then asks her to sing with her “wonderful voice.”

The naïve, trusting crow is deceived by the flattery. When she opens her beak to sing, the cheese falls to the ground. The cunning fox seizes the cheese and runs away, leaving the crow without her breakfast.

Moral

The moral of the fable is that flattery is dangerous and difficult to resist. Although people know flattery to be “bad and harmful,” they frequently fall into the traps of flatterers despite repeated warnings.

Impact

Some phrases from this fable have become widely quoted Russian catchphrases and idioms.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Also translated as The Raven and the Fox (cf. C. Fillingham Coxwell: Kriloff's Fables. Translated from the Russian into English in the Original Metres. London 1920, p. 148).
  2. ^ Dramatichesky Vestnik (Драматический вестник), initiated by Prince А. А. Shakhovskoy (1808) - the Russian counterpart to the German journal on theatre in St. Petersburg Russische Theatralien (in German) (cf. encspb.ru: Theatrical Periodicals (entry) & GSE: Theatrical Journals (1979)).
  3. ^ rvb.ru: Notes on the Fable (in Russian)
  4. ^ cf. literatura5.narod.ru: Басня И.А.Крылова "Ворона и Лисица"
  5. ^ cf. Perry's Index to the Aesopica: The Fox and the Raven
  6. ^ The Encyclopedic Dictionary of (Russian) Winged Words and Expressions by Vadim V. Serov (Ėnciklopedičeskij slovar̕ krylatych slov i vyraženij. Moskva 2004) f.e. is citing four. - See also wikiquote.org.

Bibliography

  • I. A. Krylov: Basni [Fables]. Moscow/Leningrad 1956 (Online) - in Russian
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