Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 11
La Fontaine, Jean de, 1621-1695Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 3.6- Word count
- 24K words
- Chapters
- 3
Tags
English Originals Foreign Literature Animal ImageryHuman NatureMoral AllegoryClassic MasterpieceFable StoriesFrench HumorSatirical StylePoetic NarrativeLively Narrative17th Century FranceSummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 11 by Jean de La FontaineAuthor: La Fontaine, Jean de, 1621-1695,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Mar 1, 2004Editor's review
This is Volume 11 of the English translation of La Fontaine's Tales and Novels, a free eBook from Project Gutenberg. La Fontaine is best known for his Fables, while his tales and novels reveal another side of his handling of narrative genres: drawing on materials from Boccaccio, Aretino, and other predecessors, he tells short stories in verse with a worldly, satirical flavor. This volume is one installment of the complete collection, suited to readers who wish to read La Fontaine's narrative works systematically, and also useful as source material for scholars studying French classical literature and the European tradition of short narrative. The English translation lowers the language barrier and can serve as an introductory text for understanding seventeenth-century French worldly narrative style. In content, such stories often involve themes of love between men and women, wit, and deception, bearing the marks of their era, and should be read with literary-historical context in mind. As a public-domain eBook, the edition is simple, with no notes or introduction, so readers must supply background knowledge themselves. It is suitable as supplementary material in comparative literature, translation studies, or foreign literature courses.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literature students studying French classical literature and the tradition of short narrative
- Literary enthusiasts who wish to read La Fontaine's non-fable works systematically
- Readers in comparative literature or translation studies who need an English translation for comparison
- General readers interested in seventeenth-century European worldly satirical stories
Not a good fit for
- Readers hoping to read La Fontaine's famous fables, as this volume is not a fable collection
- Beginners who need detailed notes, introductions, and scholarly interpretation
- Readers who prefer the pacing and structure of modern novels
Reading tips
- Learn about La Fontaine's life and the background of seventeenth-century French literature before approaching the text.
- Read alongside source works such as The Decameron to observe adaptation techniques.
- Read piece by piece, recording themes and narrative techniques after each, rather than rushing through.
- If the English translation is difficult, consult the French original or related literary-historical materials for support.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
- 1
- 2
- 3
FAQ
Is this volume La Fontaine's fables in verse?
No. This volume belongs to Tales and Novels, short narrative works La Fontaine wrote in verse; it is a different genre from his fables, with clearly different themes and style.Can I read this English translation without knowing French?
Yes. The book is an English translation, readable with a reasonable command of English. However, the works carry seventeenth-century French cultural background, so it is advisable to use literary-historical materials to understand the allusions and period ideas.Is this book suitable for classroom use?
It can serve as supplementary reading in foreign literature or comparative literature courses, but because this public-domain eBook lacks notes and an introduction, instructors need to supply background explanation and select the pieces themselves.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
La Fontaine, Jean de, 1621-1695 AuthorJean de La Fontaine (1621–1695) was a French fabulist, best known for his Fables de La Fontaine. The library holds 36 of his works, including the first and new editions of the Fables, its first and second volumes, A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine, The Original Fables of La Fontaine, and the complete Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine. Drawing on Greek, Latin, and Eastern storytelling traditions, his fables feature personified animals, concise and lively verse, and gentle satire, using ordinary situations to reveal human nature and moral lessons. His works have circulated widely and are often used as children's reading and language-learning material; the library classifies them under inspirational growth. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.