fable
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fable
A short, instructive story in which animals with human traits often appear and which conveys a moral.
In der Fabel vom Hasen und dem Igel siegt die List über die Schnelligkeit.
In the fable of the hare and the hedgehog, cunning wins over speed.
tall tale
An unbelievable, made-up story; a lie or excuse.
Seine Erklärung für die Verspätung war eine reine Fabel, die niemand glaubte.
His explanation for being late was a complete tall tale that no one believed.
plot
In literary studies, the action or plot of a dramatic or epic work.
Die Fabel des Stücks ist einfach, aber die Charakterentwicklung ist sehr tiefgründig.
The plot of the play is simple, but the character development is very profound.
To distinguish the meanings: when the text refers to animals with human traits and a moral, it means the instructive story (m01). In everyday language, 'eine Fabel' (a fable/tall tale) often negatively refers to an unbelievable story or excuse (m02).
Kinder lieben es, Fabeln über sprechende Tiere zu hören.
Children love hearing fables about talking animals.
In the context of an instructive story, typical features are 'sprechende Tiere' (talking animals), 'menschliche Eigenschaften' (human traits), and the fact that the story 'eine Moral hat' (has a moral).
Die Fabel vom Löwen und der Maus lehrt, dass auch die Kleinen helfen können.
The fable of the lion and the mouse teaches that even the small can help.
In the meaning of 'lie', the plural form is often used in the expression 'Fabeln erzählen' (to tell tall tales) to express that someone is lying or exaggerating.
Hör auf, Fabeln zu erzählen, und sag mir die Wahrheit!
Stop telling tall tales and tell me the truth!
The meaning 'Handlung eines Werks' (plot/action of a work) is technical language from literary studies. In normal usage, you almost never encounter this use.
In der Analyse untersuchten wir die Fabel des Dramas.
In the analysis, we examined the plot of the drama.
plot / action
Handlung is the general term for the events portrayed or recounted in a work. Fabel can also mean the plot in literary studies, but as a technical term it refers to the underlying structure of events. Outside a literary analysis, Handlung is usually the better choice.
In ihrer literaturwissenschaftlichen Analyse ordnet Mia die Fabel des Romans chronologisch.
In her literary analysis, Mia arranges the novel’s plot chronologically.
Im Unterricht fasst Mia die Handlung des Romans kurz zusammen.
In class, Mia briefly summarizes the plot of the novel.
