Perfect lesson about the nature of perception is contained in the short story "A Fable," by famous American author Mark Twain An artist creates a beautiful picture and places it so that it is reflected in the mirror. The animals in the forest get to know about the picture from the cat. The animals ask what is a mirror, and the cat describes it as a hole in the wall. Someone looks in it, and there he sees the picture. The donkey doubts and the cat becomes offended. The animals let the donkey bring them the evidence that the picture isn't beautiful. The donkey goes and looks in the mirror, and comes back and tells what he found there. By mistake the donkey stays between the picture and the mirror. The result is that he sees nothing in that hole but an donkey. All animals go to look in the mirror. Of course they see only their reflections. The author sums up with a conclusion. Which one? Get acquainted with A Fable by Mark Twain to know it.
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He apprenticed with a printer. He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. After toiling as a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, before heading west to join Orion. He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journalism. While a reporter, he wrote a humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which proved to be very popular and brought him nationwide attention. His travelogues were also well-received. Twain had found his calling. He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. However, he lacked financial acumen. Though he made a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he squandered it on various ventures, in particular the Paige Compositor, and was forced to declare bankruptcy. With the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers, however, he eventually overcame his financial troubles. Twain worked hard to ensure that all of his creditors were paid in full, even though his bankruptcy had relieved him of the legal responsibility. Born during a visit by Halley's Comet, he died on its return. He was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature". Excerpted from Wikipedia. AKA: Μαρκ Τουαίν (Greek)
