English Definition
¥WebsterÕs New Collegiate Dictionary:
A usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.
¥Common literary definition:
An extended simile
Since a simile is a figure of speech in which a comparison is explicitly stated, e.g., big as a barnÉ
É a parable is longera sentence to a story which makes an explicit comparison.
E.g., Òthe kingdom of heaven is like (this story IÕm going to tell you)Ó