Krylov is one of the primary authors of Russian fables, using the dismal social circumstances of Russia in the early 19th century as a critical and satirical platform. At that time, the Russian public suffered under the tyranny of a dictatorship. In this study, the animal characters from ‘Animal Fables’, which is one of the many fables written by Krylov, were studied and analyzed and the entire book formed the basis for this study. All of the animal characters were examined, and the number of times that the characters appeared was calculated. The results showed that mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, reptilians and fish all appeared in his fables and that mammals appeared most frequently. In this study, the individual symbolism of the ten most frequent animal characters was also analyzed and the results were as follows: Six species-foxes, wolves, bears, snakes, crows, and flies-were presented negatively, and three specie-sheep, roosters, and nightingales were presented positively. One species, that of the dog, took on dual roles. The fact that there were many animal characters that represented negative qualities shows that the reality of Russia of the time was dark and irrational. As researched in this study, Krylov was a genuine illuminator, writing through the perspective of Zeitgeist, who wanted to shed a strong light on the administration and the Russian public. His fables have become national fables of Russia, and have not lost any of their vitality in the present. They contain within themselves an universal appeal for all ages.

Krylov is one of the primary authors of Russian fables, using the dismal social circumstances of Russia in the early 19th century as a critical and satirical platform. At that time, the Russian public suffered under the tyranny of a dictatorship. In this study, the animal characters from ‘Animal Fables’, which is one of the many fables written by Krylov, were studied and analyzed and the entire book formed the basis for this study. All of the animal characters were examined, and the number of times that the characters appeared was calculated. The results showed that mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, reptilians and fish all appeared in his fables and that mammals appeared most frequently. In this study, the individual symbolism of the ten most frequent animal characters was also analyzed and the results were as follows: Six species-foxes, wolves, bears, snakes, crows, and flies-were presented negatively, and three specie-sheep, roosters, and nightingales were presented positively. One species, that of the dog, took on dual roles. The fact that there were many animal characters that represented negative qualities shows that the reality of Russia of the time was dark and irrational. As researched in this study, Krylov was a genuine illuminator, writing through the perspective of Zeitgeist, who wanted to shed a strong light on the administration and the Russian public. His fables have become national fables of Russia, and have not lost any of their vitality in the present. They contain within themselves an universal appeal for all ages.

Krylov, fables, animal fables, range of animal characters, number of times