Horace Walpole turns to the letters and argues that: Walpole's numerous letters are often used as a historical resource. In one, dating from 28 January 1754, he coined the word serendipity which he said was derived from a "silly fairy tale" he had read, "The Three Princes of Serendip". The oft-quoted epigram, "This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel", is from a letter of Walpole's to Anne, Countess of Ossory, on 16 August 1776. The original, fuller version appeared in a letter to Sir Horace Mann on 31 December 1769: "I have often said,
Ivan the Fool (story) Ivan the Fool (story) "Ivan the Fool" (also known as "Ivan the Fool and his Two Brothers") is an 1886 short story (in fact, a literary fairy tale) by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1886. It describes the struggles of three brothers and a sister with the Old Devil. The name "Ivan the Fool" hints to a popular hero of Russian folklore. Although the story is usually considered a children's fairy tale, it is also used as an indication of Tolstoy's political leanings in support of Christianity. Though his brothers are easily tempted by money and military power, unsophisticated Ivan, with