The Fables of Phædrus
Latin Verse Fables of Aesop: Roman Social Satire, Political Allegory, and Moral Wisdom in the Age of AugustusBy Phaedrus
Length6h 14m
About this audiobook
The Fables of Phædrus presents one of the earliest substantial bodies of Latin prose-like verse devoted to the Aesopic tradition. Composed chiefly in iambic senarii, these compact narratives animate animals—foxes, wolves, lions, asses, and birds—to expose vanity, injustice, political power, and the precarious condition of the weak. Phædrus preserves familiar moral patterns while sharpening them through irony, epigrammatic compression, pointed dialogue, and slyly self-conscious prologues and epilogues. His five-book corpus belongs to the literary culture of the early Roman Empire, yet its social criticism gives the traditional fable an unmistakably Roman voice: urbane, skeptical, and alert to the dangers of speaking truth under hierarchy. Probably a Thracian by birth and later an enslaved person who was manumitted, Phædrus wrote during the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. His position as a freedman helps illuminate the fables' recurring sympathy for the powerless and their distrust of official authority, while his literary ambition is evident in his claim to have brought Aesop's material into Latin verse. The persecution he appears to have suffered under Sejanus may also explain the collection's careful blend of moral instruction and indirection. This volume is recommended to readers interested in classical literature, satire, folklore, and the history of political expression. It offers both the accessible pleasure of concise animal tales and a sophisticated study of how wit, allegory, and formal restraint can challenge social power.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.6 (361)
Includes Goodreads
GenrePoetry
Length6 hrs 14 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 27, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Roget's Thesaurus (Annotated)
2PREFACE.
3THE FABLES OF PHÆDRUS.
4THE PROLOGUE.
5Fable I. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
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6Fable II. THE FROGS ASKING FOR A KING.
7Fable III. THE VAIN JACKDAW AND THE PEACOCK.
8Fable IV. THE DOG CARRYING SOME MEAT ACROSS A RIVER.
9Fable V. THE COW, THE SHE-GOAT, THE SHEEP, AND THE LION.
10Fable VI. THE FROGS’ COMPLAINT AGAINST THE SUN.
11Fable VII. THE FOX AND THE TRAGIC MASK.
12Fable VIII. THE WOLF AND THE CRANE.
13Fable IX. THE SPARROW AND THE HARE.
14Fable X. THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE APE.
15Fable XI. THE ASS AND THE LION HUNTING.
16Fable XII. THE STAG AT THE STREAM.
17Fable XIII. THE FOX AND THE RAVEN.
18Fable XIV. THE COBBLER TURNED PHYSICIAN.
19Fable XV. THE ASS AND THE OLD SHEPHERD.
20Fable XVI. THE STAG, THE SHEEP, AND THE WOLF.
21Fable XVII. THE SHEEP, THE DOG, AND THE WOLF.
22Fable XVIII. THE WOMAN IN LABOUR.
23Fable XIX. THE BITCH AND HER WHELPS.
24Fable XX. THE HUNGRY DOGS.
25Fable XXI. THE AGED LION, THE WILD BOAR, THE BULL, AND THE ASS.
26Fable XXII. THE MAN AND THE WEASEL.
27Fable XXIII. THE FAITHFUL DOG.
28Fable XXIV. THE FROG AND THE OX.
29Fable XXV. THE DOG AND THE CROCODILE.
30Fable XXVI. THE FOX AND THE STORK.
31Fable XXVII. THE DOG, THE TREASURE, AND THE VULTURE.
32Fable XXVIII. THE FOX AND THE EAGLE.
33Fable XXIX. THE ASS DERIDING THE BOAR.
34Fable XXX. THE FROGS FRIGHTENED AT THE BATTLE OF THE BULLS.
35Fable XXXI. THE KITE AND THE PIGEONS.
36THE PROLOGUE.
37Fable I. THE LION, THE ROBBER, AND THE TRAVELLER.
38Fable II. THE TWO WOMEN OF DIFFERENT AGES BELOVED BY THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN.
39Fable III. THE MAN AND THE DOG.
40Fable IV. THE EAGLE, THE CAT, AND THE WILD SOW.
41Fable V. CÆSAR TO THE CHAMBERLAIN.
42Fable VI. THE EAGLE, THE CROW, AND THE TORTOISE.
43Fable VII. THE MULES AND THE ROBBERS.
44Fable VIII. THE STAG AND THE OXEN.
45THE EPILOGUE.
46THE PROLOGUE. To Eutychus.III.1
47Fable I. THE OLD WOMAN AND THE CASK.
48Fable II. THE PANTHER AND THE SHEPHERD.
49Fable III. ÆSOP AND THE FARMER.
50Fable IV. THE BUTCHER AND THE APE.
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