Letter: Aesop's horrors
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: You report (15 January) that Aesop's fables emerge in a new translation as "not pretty purveyors of Victorian morals [but] savage, coarse, brutal".
Rabbit one day went to see her friend the Fox, who was telling his children stories. Rabbit asked if she could listen. Soon she was trembling with horror and disgust, and exclaimed: "Fox, why are you filling their minds with stories of violence and death?"
"You eat grass: we eat meat," replied Fox.
Moral: don't judge another culture by the values of your own.
Aesop has been transformed from an anaemic Victorian to a biting Greek moralist. This doesn't mean we should upgrade his "U" rating to "18"; perhaps rather his writings, as those of many children's authors, straddle two worlds - the "adult" world of satire, and the "juvenile" world of fable. His young audience may not have batted an eyelid at imagery that makes our adult hair curl.
SIMON AITKEN
Oxford
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments