Aesop

Aesop
(6th c. BC)
Greek teller of fables, or stories with a satirical and moral twist. The life of Aesop is itself a fable: he is traditionally supposed to have been hunchbacked and ugly (which may be a symbol of racial stereotyping), to have been the slave of a philosopher, Xanthus of Samos, and to have gained his freedom only to fall foul of the citizens of Delphi, who were anxious to protect the reputation of their oracle against him and threw him off a cliff. Xanthus and his wife are represented as particularly prone to losing their dignity in the presence of Aesop, who is therefore a symbol of the subversive role of low, popular, folk wisdom in contrast to so-called high culture and philosophy. His fables were particularly popular in the late Renaissance, attracting commentaries from philosophers including Valla, Erasmus, and Lessing.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Aesop — (also spelled Æsop, from the Greek Unicode|Αἴσωπος Aisōpos ) (620 560 BC), known only for the genre of fables ascribed to him, was by tradition a slave ( δούλος ) who was a contemporary of Croesus and Peisistratus in the mid sixth century BC in… …   Wikipedia

  • AESOP — (all employee share ownership plan) A HM Revenue & Customs approved share scheme which offers tax benefits, now known as share incentive plans. Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010 …   Law dictionary

  • Aesop — Gk. Aisopos, semi legendary 6c. B.C.E. fablist …   Etymology dictionary

  • AESOP — (Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning) (Medicine) voice controlled robotic system which holds and maneuvers an endoscope during surgical procedures (manufactured by Computer Motion Inc.) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Aesop — [ē′səp, ēsäp΄] real or legendary Gr. author of fables: supposed to have lived 6th cent. B.C …   English World dictionary

  • Aesop — So sah der spanische Maler Diego Velasquez den griechischen Dichter Äsop Aesop, Abbildung in der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Aesop — /ee seuhp, ee sop/, n. c620 c560 B.C., Greek writer of fables. * * * Supposed author of a collection of Greek fables, almost certainly a legendary figure. Though Herodotus, in the 5th century BC, said that he was an actual personage, Aesop was… …   Universalium

  • AESOP — An Evolutionary System for On line Programming. frühes interaktives Query System mit Lightpen für IBM 1800 Systeme. > AESOP: A Final Report: A Prototype Interactive Information Control System , J.K. Summers et al, in Information System Science …   Acronyms

  • Aesop — Ae|sop (?620 ?560 BC) an ancient Greek writer who wrote short stories known as Aesop s Fables, which teach moral lessons using characters who are animals. His fables include The Fox and the Grapes and The Tortoise and the Hare …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • AESOP — An Evolutionary System for On line Programming. frühes interaktives Query System mit Lightpen für IBM 1800 Systeme. > AESOP: A Final Report: A Prototype Interactive Information Control System , J.K. Summers et al, in Information System Science …   Acronyms von A bis Z

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”