APOLOGUE

fable, parable, allegory, apologue

(noun) a short moral story (often with animal characters)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

apologue (countable and uncountable, plural apologues)

a short story with a moral, often involving talking animals or objects; a fable

(rhetoric) use of fable to persuade the audience

Source: Wiktionary

Ap"o*logue, n. Etym: [L. apologous, Gr. apologue.]

Definition: A story or relation of fictitious events, intended to convey some moral truth; a moral fable.

Note: An apologue differs from a parable in this;: the parable is drawn from events which take place among mankind, and therefore requires probability in the narrative; the apologue is founded on supposed actions of brutes or inanimate things, and therefore is not limited by strict rules of probability. Æsop's fables are good examples of apologues.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition