Aesop's Fables verses. Nonetheless, for two main reasons – because numerous morals within Aesop's attributed fables contradict each other, and because ancient accounts of Aesop's life contradict each other – the modern view is that Aesop was not the originator of all those fables attributed to him. Instead, any fable tended to be ascribed to the name of Aesop if there was no known alternative literary source. In Classical times there were various theorists who tried to differentiate these fables from other kinds of narration. They had to be short and unaffected; in addition, they are fictitious, useful to life and true
The Sandman: Fables & Reflections is structured as a story within a story (this is a theme to which Gaiman will return in the "" arc). "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs. The collection also includes the "Sandman Special", retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic. Because "Fables & Reflections" partakes of so many elements, some believe it lacks the thematic or artistic consistency that is present even in the other short story collections. Perhaps in an effort to make these differences less apparent, DC has shuffled the issues in