0
Mitsuo23 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Rabbit vs the Rabbit in a fairy tale

Hi,

In stories like a fairly tale, I sometimes see a character named "Rabbit" or "the Rabbit." Rabbit makes sense to me while the Rabbit doesn't. It begins with a capital letter R so that Rabbit should be a proper noun, like my name. Why the is being used in some stories with Rabbit? and what is the difference between them?

Thank you,
M
  

Top answer

mitsuwao23 Why the is is "the" being used in some stories with Rabbit? It could be seen not only as a name but also, a proper title. It is very similar to some movies using the title President: "Mr.

— Anonymous

  • mitsuwao23 Why the is is "the" being used in some stories with Rabbit?
  • It could be seen not only as a name but also, a proper title.
  • It is very similar to some movies using the title President: "Mr.
  • "
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

8 Answers
0
mitsuwao23Why the is is "the" being used in some stories with Rabbit?
It could be seen not only as a name but also, a proper title. It is very similar to some movies using the title President: "Mr. President and the President."
0
0
the Rabbit doesn't sound right to me, either,

Were these stories written by native speakers of English?

Clive
0
0
Expressions like "the Rabbit" in fairy tales are simply an imitation of the way such stories used to be written in the old days. They don't follow the conventions of modern punctuation. That way they give the impression of being old stories from long ago.

CJ
0
0
Hi, Clive, thank you for the reply, and long time no see.

Here's list of the books I am reading right now.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter (she wrote several stories with rabbits in them).
Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne (Rabbit is a supporting character).
Br'er Rabbit - Various authors, based on traditional stories.
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams.
Alic
0
0
Ohhhh, CJ made totally sense. The reason was something I had never imagined. Emotion: clap

Thank you,
M
0
0
The White Rabbit functions as the name used to refer to him as well as the description of him. Other characters in the story include the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare and the Duchess. They too are referred to by names that reflect their description.
0
0
Thank you for the reply Meathawk,

I am not sure if I understood your explanation correctly. Are you saying that the usage of the Rabbit is one of those kind like "the Mona Lisa"?

Thank you,
M
0
0
I might add that the list of stories you mentioned - Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Br'er Rabbit, Velveteen R, and Alice in Wonderland - are not fairy tales. The term "fairy tale" is only used in English to refer to Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales, and similar tales, for example, ethnic stories of a similar nature - these are fantasies intended for children or unsophisticated adults. Thus, eve
0

Related Questions