The Old Woman and the Wine Jar is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 493 in the Perry Index. It has been applied to situations where an influence for good is lasting, such as the effect of education.
A Roman copy after a Greek original of the 2nd century BCE
Fable and interpretationedit
The story appears in the form of a short anecdote in the collection of Phaedrus and concerns an old woman who comes across an empty wine jar, the lingering smell of which she appreciatively sniffs and praises, saying 'Oh sweet spirits, I do declare, how excellent you must once have been to have left behind such fine remains!'[1] Phaedrus is playing with the comic stereotype of the drunken old woman, who was a stock figure of both Greek and Roman comedy, as illustrated in the statue here.
The fable has been used comparatively rarely. In France an illustration of it appeared in the first emblem book of Guillaume Guéroult, accompanied by a long poem on the importance of educating children early.[2] The introductory verse comments on how a new pot will always carry the savour of the first liquid that filled it. In "The Barrel", the Russian Fabulist Ivan Krylov told a similar illustrative story and applied it to education.[3]
The poems of Phaedrus began to be translated into English during the 18th century. He himself had been reticent about the story's application, simply stating "People who know me will be able to say what this fable is about". In Thomas Bewick's Fables of Aesop and Others (1818), the commentary takes this to mean that the effect of education shows in this production of his old age.[4] At the end of his own version, George Fyler Townsend gives it the moral, “the memory of a good deed lives”.[5]
woman, wine, woman, wine, aesop, fables, numbered, perry, index, been, applied, situations, where, influence, good, lasting, such, effect, education, roman, copy, after, greek, original, century, bcefable, interpretation, editthe, story, appears, form, short, . The Old Woman and the Wine Jar is one of Aesop s Fables and is numbered 493 in the Perry Index It has been applied to situations where an influence for good is lasting such as the effect of education A Roman copy after a Greek original of the 2nd century BCEFable and interpretation editThe story appears in the form of a short anecdote in the collection of Phaedrus and concerns an old woman who comes across an empty wine jar the lingering smell of which she appreciatively sniffs and praises saying Oh sweet spirits I do declare how excellent you must once have been to have left behind such fine remains 1 Phaedrus is playing with the comic stereotype of the drunken old woman who was a stock figure of both Greek and Roman comedy as illustrated in the statue here The fable has been used comparatively rarely In France an illustration of it appeared in the first emblem book of Guillaume Gueroult accompanied by a long poem on the importance of educating children early 2 The introductory verse comments on how a new pot will always carry the savour of the first liquid that filled it In The Barrel the Russian Fabulist Ivan Krylov told a similar illustrative story and applied it to education 3 The poems of Phaedrus began to be translated into English during the 18th century He himself had been reticent about the story s application simply stating People who know me will be able to say what this fable is about In Thomas Bewick s Fables of Aesop and Others 1818 the commentary takes this to mean that the effect of education shows in this production of his old age 4 At the end of his own version George Fyler Townsend gives it the moral the memory of a good deed lives 5 References edit Aesopica Le premier livre des emblemes 1550 pp 37 9 Kriloff s Fables translated by C Fillingham Coxwell pp 95 6 Fables of Aesop and Others Newcastle 1818 p 137 Aesop s Fables 1867 Fable 94External links editBook illustrations from the 18th 20th century Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Old Woman and the Wine jar amp oldid 1144926699, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
