The Spider's Tale by Oliver Herford
A poet attempts to rescue a fly ensnared in a spider's web, only to be interrupted by the spider, who defends its right to its meal. The spider then spins a tale to distract the poet. In the story, a prince searches for his lost bride, who is trapped by a witch. While riding through a forest, he encounters a spider caught in a fly's web. The prince offers to free the spider in exchange for its help in finding his bride. The spider agrees, promising to guide him. Once freed, the spider leads the prince to his bride, but unbeknownst to them, the fly has followed. The prince successfully confronts the witch and finds his bride, but during their wedding, the bride sees the fly, which causes her to lose her sanity. In a fit of madness, she consumes poison, and the prince inadvertently does the same. The poet, engrossed in the spider's tale, forgets about the fly's fate until the story concludes, realizing too late that the fly has met its end. The narrative illustrates the consequences of meddling in affairs beyond one's understanding and highlights the spider's cunning nature.
By Oliver Herford · First published 1911 · Genre: Poetry, Fantasy, Fable · 781 words
First lines
[Sidenote: The Poet offereth to deliver a Fly from the Spider's web.]
"Really, Fly, you ought to know Better, surely, than to go Into Mr. Spider's net.
What this Textopian page supports
The Spider's Tale is listed on Textopian as a short story by Oliver Herford, dated 1911 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Oliver Herford
- Date: 1911 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Fantasy, Fable, Humor, Children's Literature
- Length: 781 words
- Structure: 1 section, 24 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Spider's Tale by Oliver Herford
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Spider's Tale?
- How does this short story by Oliver Herford fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Poetry first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Bold Bad Butterfly by Oliver Herford
- The Learned Fish by Hilaire Belloc
- The Snails Dream by Oliver Herford
- The Horse by Oliver Herford
- The Unfortunate Giraffe by Oliver Herford
- The Gifted Ant by Oliver Herford
Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, employing rhyme and meter typical of poetry.
- Fantasy — The narrative involves fantastical elements such as talking animals and magical occurrences.
- Fable — The story conveys a moral lesson through anthropomorphized characters, typical of fables.
- Humor — The tone and situations presented are comedic, using irony and wit.
Tags
Fable · Children's Literature · Animal Story · Poetry · Rhyming Verse · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · Morality Tale · Fantasy · Adventure · Illustrated Book