Fables E-Book

Vincent Jooris

• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 30

Beschreibung

What should we learn from Fables, the timeless work of classic French literature? Find everything you need to know about this work in a complete and detailed analysis.
In particular, you will find in this sheet:
 - A complete summary ;
- A complete summary of the work; Insights such as classicism, the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns, and the Fables before La Fontaine;
- An analysis of the specificities of the work: an unexpected masterpiece, pleasant stories, an adequate style, the strength of the Fables and the subjects addressed.
A reference analysis to quickly understand the meaning of the work.

Leseprobe

JEAN DE LA FONTAINE

FRENCH POET

•Born in 1621 in Château-Thierry (Aisne)

•Died in 1695 in Paris

•Some of his works:

°Adonis (1658), poem

°Contes et nouvelles (1665), collection of stories

°Fables choisies mises en vers (1668-1694), collection of fables

Born in 1621 to a father who was a master of water and forests, Jean de La Fontaine had a rural childhood. His poem Adonis attracted the attention of Nicolas Fouquet (1615-1680), Superintendent of Finances in France. La Fontaine became Fouquet’s personal poet and in 1659 dedicated a poem to him entitled Le Songe de Vaux. The following year, however, Louis XIV (1638-1715), jealous of Fouquet’s opulence, imprisoned this overly influential minister.

Having taken refuge for a time in the Limousin, La Fontaine returned to worldly life and found new patrons. He then produced most of his work, befriended other writers of his time such as La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), Molière (1622-1673), Mme de Sévigné (1626-1696), Boileau (1636-1711) and Racine (1639-1699), and was admitted to the Académie Française in 1684. La Fontaine, as the greatest poet of the 17th century, was not only the author of Fables and Tales, but also of plays and didactic stories.

FABLES

A TIMELESS WORK

•Genre: fables

•Reference edition: Fables, Paris, Le Livre de Poche, coll. "Les Classiques de Poche", 2002, 544 p.

•1st edition: 1668

•Themes : morality, manners, society, politics

The Fables are a series of poetic collections. Illustrated, they are primarily intended for a social audience. There are 248 texts, divided into twelve books (or parts).

The first collection, Fables choisies mises en vers, appeared in 1668 and contained six books. The enthusiasm of the readers was immediate. The second collection, Fables, nouvelles et autres poésies, was published in Paris by Denis Thierry in two volumes (1678 and 1679), comprising five books in total. Finally, Claude Barbin published Book XII. Fables choisies, in 1693. This contains 29 fables, 14 of which had already been published earlier in Le Mercure galant or in the Œuvres de Maucroix et de La Fontaine (1685).

The numerous reissues over the centuries confirm the essential and timeless character of this work.

SUMMARY

The Fables of Jean de la Fontaine are grouped in three collections and then distributed in a number of books. The following list presents a short selection of the best known or most significant fables.

FIRST COLLECTION

•"The Cicada and the Ant" (I, Book I). While the Ant was building up his food reserves, the Cicada remained carefree. In winter, the starving Cicada begs the Ant for food, and the Ant blames her for her negligence.

•"The Raven and the Fox" (I, Book II). The Fox comes across the Raven, who is holding a piece of cheese in his beak. The Fox flatters the Raven to make him talk and thus get the cheese.

•"The Frog Who Wants to Be as Big as the Ox" (I, Book III). Jealous of the Ox's stature, the Frog tries to swell to the point where it explodes.

•"The Two Mules" (I, Book IV). One of the Mules carries the oats, while the other proudly carries the tax money. When robbers appear, they attack the latter. The other escapes.

•"The Wolf and the Dog" (I, Book V). The hungry Wolf envies the status of the well-fed and comfortable Dog. But at the sight of the Dog’s collar, the Wolf runs away, preferring his freedom.

•"The Heifer, the Goat and the Sheep in Society with the Lion"