The directory «Plots»

La Fontaine Jean de
(1621–1695)

French poet, whose celebrated fables place him among the masters of world literature. He was born at Château-Thierry to a bourgeois family. A restless dilettante as a youth, he settled at last in Paris. His marriage (1647) terminated in 1658, and from 1673 to 1693 he lived in the household of Mme de La Sablière, one of his several patrons. La Fontaine’s masterpiece is the collection of Fables choisies, mises en vers [selected fables versified] (1668–94), comprising 12 books of some 230 fables drawn largely from Aesop. Each fable is a short tale of beasts behaving like men; each serves as a comment on human behavior. Although their charm and simple facade have made them popular with children, many are sophisticated satires and serious commentaries on French society. Their wit, acumen, and brilliance of verse and narrative have assured their worldwide success; they ran into 37 editions before La Fontaine’s death. Among his other works are Contes et nouvelles en vers (4 vol., 1664–74, tr. Tales and Novels in Verse, 1934), humorous and often ribald verse tales drawn from Boccaccio, Ariosto, and others. He also wrote comedies and librettos for opera, poems on classical themes, and long original poems, notably the Élégie aux nymphes de Vaux (1671), a complaint on the disgrace (1661) of his patron Fouquet.

Albania, 1995, Illustration to fables

Albania, 1995, Illustration to fables

Albania, 1995, Illustration to fables

Albania, 1995, La Fontain and Animals

Belgium, 1929, Lottery Fables of La Fontain

Burundi, 1977, Hen with Golden Eggs

Burundi, 1977, The Wolf Turned Shepperd

Burundi, 1977, The Oyster and Litigants

Burundi, 1977, The Wolf and the Lamb

Dahomey, 1972, The Hare and the Tortoise

Dahomey, 1972, The Fox and the Stork

Dahomey, 1972, The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit

France, 1938, Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1957, Chateau-Thierry. Museum of La Fontaine

France, 1978, The Hare and the Tortoise

France, 1978, The Town and the Country Mouse

France, 1995, The Grasshopper and the Ant

France, 1995, The fat Frog and the Ox

France, 1995, The Wolf and the Lamb

France, 1995, The Raven and the Fox

France, 1995, The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit

France, 1995, The Hare and the Tortoise

Grenada Grenadines, 1986|1987, The Aged Lion (Fables of La Fontaine)

Hungary, 1958, The Ant and the Grasshopper

Hungary, 1959, The Ant and the Grasshopper

Hungary, 1960, The Miller, Son and Donkey

Hungary, 1960, The Stork and the Fox

Monaco, 1972, La Fontaine and Animal Fables

Mongolia, 1970, The Ant and the Grasshopper

New Caledonia, 1978, The Hare and the Tortois

Niger, 1972, The Raven and the Fox

Niger, 1972, The Lion and the Rat

Niger, 1972, The Monkey and the Leopard

Russia, 2017, Fable «The Fox And The Grape»

Syria, 1976, The Fox and the Raven

Syria, 1976, The Wolf and the Lamb

Albania, 1995.08.20, Tirana. The Raven and the Fox

Dahomey, 1972.08.28, Cotonou. Fables of La Fontaine

France, Paris, post office on the rue of La Fontaine

France, 1939/1951, Chateau Thierry. Museum of La Fontaine

France, 1955/1959, Chateau Thierry. Museum of La Fontaine

France, 1961.06.24—26, Chateau Thierry. Days of La Fontaine

France, 1963.06.22—23, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1964/1960, Chateau Thierry. Museum of Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1972.01.19, Chateau Thierry. La Fontaine

France, 1973.06, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1974.06, Chateau Thierry. Doves

France, 1978.02, Chateau Thierry. The Fox and The Crane

France, 1978.04—06, Chateau Thierry. The Grasshopper and the Ant

France, 1978.12.02, Chateau Thierry. The Town and the Country Mouse

France, 1979.06.13, Chateau Thierry. Days of La Fontaine

France, 1980.06, Chateau Thierry. Rabbits

France, 1982.04, Chateau Thierry. Girl with milk

France, 1983.06, Chateau Thierry. Horse and fly

France, 1984.11.02, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1984/1986, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1985.05—06, Chateau Thierry. Crab

France, 1986.06, Chateau Thierry. Frog and Snail

France, 1987.04—06, Chateau Thierry. Hanter and animals

France, 1988.06, Chateau Thierry. Simbol of Louisiana

France, 1989.04—06, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1990, Le Mee Sur Seine. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1990.06.01—24, Chateau Thierry. The Lion and the Rat

France, 1991.04—06, Chateau Thierry. Fables of Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1992/1993, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1994.03—06, Chateau Thierry. Doves

France, 1995.05—06, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 1995.06.24, Chateau-Thierry. Museum of La Fontaine

France, 1995.11.01/12, Dijon. The Town and the Country Mouse

France, 1998/2001, Chateau Thierry. La Fontaine

France, 1999.09, Antony. Crow with cheese

France, 2001.03.08, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

France, 2001.07.01/10.01, Chateau Thierry. La Fontaine

France, 2003.06.21—22, Chateau Thierry. Fables of La Fontaine

France, 2004.06, Chateau Thierry. Storks

France, 2005.04—06, Chateau Thierry. Two Women

France, 2011.10.15—16, Chateau Thierry. Jean de La Fontaine

Niger, 1972.11.23, Niamey. Fables of La Fontaine

France, 1995, The Grasshopper and the Ant

France, 1995, The Fat Frog and the Ox

France, 1995, The Wolf and the Lamb

France, 1995, The Raven and the Fox

France, 1995, The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit

France, 1995, The Hare and the Tortoise

France, 1997, The Hare and the Tortoise

France, 2002, Fables of La Fontaine

France, 2004, La Fontaine, Racine, Dumas

France, 1995, The Grasshopper and the Ant

France, 1995, The Fat Frog and the Ox

France, 1995, The Wolf and the Lamb

France, 1995, The Raven and the Fox

France, 1995, The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit

France, 1995, The Hare and the Tortoise