Moral Tales was first published in 1801, and the collection had its origins in the determination of Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) and her father both to illustrate the educational precepts that they had set out in Practical Education (1798), and to provide stories for children older than the audience of The Parent's Assistant (1796), an earlier work. The initial popularity of this work, whose tales attempted “neither [to] dissipate the attention, nor inflame the imagination” of its young readers (1: v), can be gauged from the fact that there were two further editions in 1802 and 1806, American editions in 1810 and 1819, as well as numerous French editions and translations of both the full collection and individual tales. The popularity of Moral Tales declined during the course of the nineteenth century, however, and, in common...
1027 words
Citation: Murphy, Sharon Jude. "Moral Tales". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 May 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3489, accessed 09 June 2026.]
