Fables for the Frivolous


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4 stars; 2 reviews)

One of the earliest works by the American parodist, Guy Wetmore Carryl, these fables are adapted from Jean de La Fontaine’s original writings. The fables are written in verse, and are light-hearted re-tellings of fables from two centuries before, each ending with a moral and a pun. Among the more celebrated of the fables are The Persevering Tortoise and the Pretentious Hare, The Arrogant Frog and the Superior Bull, and The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven. (Summary written by Chriss)

Chapters

Select a chapter to play

The Arrogant Fox and the Unapproachable Grapes 2:35 Read by chriss the girl
The Persevering Tortoise and the Pretentious Hare 2:22 Read by Khoa Tran
The Patrician Peacocks and the Overweening Jay 2:43 Read by Peter Katt
The Arrogant Frog and the Superior Bull 2:07 Read by Noam Yogev
The Domineering Eagle and the Inventive Bratling 2:40 Read by David Barnes
The Iconoclastic Rustic and the Apropos Acorn 2:43 Read by Betsie Bush
The Unusual Goose and the Imbecilic Woodcutter 2:11 Read by Noam Yogev
The Rude Rat and the Unostentatious Oyster 2:38 Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)
The Urban Rat and the Suburban Rat 2:11 Read by chriss the girl
The Impecunious Grasshopper and the Frugal Ant 2:32 Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)
The Pampered Lapdog and the Misguided Ass 2:23 Read by Joyce Nussbaum
The Vainglorious Oak and the Modest Bullrush 2:36 Read by Joyce Nussbaum
The Inhuman Wolf and the Lamb Sans Gene 2:35 Read by Gesine
The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven 2:51 Read by David Barnes
The Microscopic Trout and the Machiavellian Fisherman 3:29 Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)
The Confiding Peasant and the Maladroit Bear 2:39 Read by David Barnes
The Precipitate Cock and the Unappreciated Pearl 1:54 Read by Justine Young
The Abbreviated Fox and His Sceptical Comrades 2:25 Read by Joyce Nussbaum
The Hospitable Caledonian and the Thankless Viper 2:22 Read by Gesine
The Impetuous Breeze and the Diplomatic Sun 4:25 Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)