Term

Parable

A short allegorical story in which the adventures of the characters carry a thought about life. Coelho called The Alchemist exactly that.

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

Explained in

• The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach

  A short allegorical story with a moral. It is read not literally but by applying it to yourself.

• A Confession, Leo Tolstoy

  A short, vivid story that conveys a moral or religious idea. Tolstoy calls the story of the traveller in the well an Eastern fable.

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