الحكاية الخرافيّة، فابـولا الحيـوان، والمثـل جذورها الجاهليّة وأصولها

Abstract

This article deals mainly with the definition of some literary types which appear in classic Arabic literature such as the “fable,” “Proverb,” and “folk tale.”  One may claim that these genres can be attributed to the pre-Islamic period, in which some literary types were formed; one can also point at some external foreign influences on the forming of such literary types.

Some researchers have tried to show a connection between these literary types and Greek culture, while others have tried to prove a Persian influence.  One can, however, distinguish some literary texts included in these genres, which have purely Arab characteristics, particularly the proverbs.  Proverbs are nourished mainly from a Bedouin culture and a Jahili desert environment.

One can see that the proverbs and the other literary types relied on characters from the world of animals, which is one of the main characteristics of proverbs and fables.