Death of a Genre? : The Aesopic Fable and the Emergence of Modernity
Taking as its starting point the scholarly discussion about the possible death of the Aesopic fable towards the end of the eighteenth century, this article proposes a broadening of perspective, arguing for a thorough examination of the impact of modernity on some of the basic contexts and conditions of the genre. Four contextual factors are, subsequently, placed under scrutiny: the ethics of virtuTaking as its starting point the scholarly discussion about the possible death of the Aesopic fable towards the end of the eighteenth century, this article proposes a broadening of perspective, arguing for a thorough examination of the impact of modernity on some of the basic contexts and conditions of the genre. Four contextual factors are, subsequently, placed under scrutiny: the ethics of virtu