He began his fable work with translations of Aesop and became a famous fabulist of the New Age (17th century).
La Fontaine's creative heritage is rich: poems, poems, fairy tales and stories in verse, prose), but in world literature he remained primarily a fabulist who developed and enriched the fable genre.
From the biography
Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) was born on July 8, 1621 in the town of Chateau-Thierry in the province of Picardy. His father Charles was the manager of the royal hunt and the chief forester of the Duchy of Chateau-Thierry.
At first, Lafontaine was preparing for the clergy, but then he began to study law in Paris, while simultaneously attending a circle of young poets.
In 1647, at the insistence of his father, he married the young Marie Ericard, who was only 14 or 15 years old. But Lafontaine takes marriage and further family life very lightly, not raising his only son and living in Paris separately from his family, among friends, admirers and admirers of his talent.
In 1649 he received a lawyer's diploma and a position at the High Court in Paris. But he soon moved to Chateau-Thierry, where he received a leadership position in the forestry of the duchy. Here he reads a lot and often travels to Paris to meet with friends.
La Fontaine's first work, the comedy The Eunuch, was published in 1654 and was not successful.
In 1658, one of La Fontaine's relatives introduced him to Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent of finances of France in the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, one of the most powerful and richest men in France. Fouquet becomes Lafontaine's patron. Subsequently, Lafontaine would have other very influential patrons. Lafontaine's work develops, he publishes one work after another. His popularity is growing. But the first collection of fables was published only in 1668.
It was called "Aesop's Fables Transposed into Poems by M. de La Fontaine." Later, several more volumes of fables were published, and this genre became quite popular.
The significance of La Fontaine for the history of literature
It lies in the fact that he created a new genre of fable, borrowing only the external plot from ancient authors. His fables are not so much philosophical as lyrical, determined by the individual character of La Fontaine.
The artistic significance of La Fontaine's fables is promoted by the beauty of poetic introductions and digressions, his figurative language, and the richness and variety of poetic form.
La Fontaine's Fables
The moral of La Fontaine's fables is peculiar. He does not lecture, but states the fact that the cunning and dexterous usually prevail over kind and simple people. He convinces the reader that the poor and disenfranchised do not have to fight against circumstances and injustice, but only need to adapt to the life in which they are forced to live and come to terms with the circumstances.
Lafontaine
Frog and Ox
The frog, seeing Ox in the meadow,
She decided to match his stature herself:
She was envious
And well, puff up, puff and pout.
“Look, wah, what, will I get rid of him?” -
He says to his friend. - “No, gossip, far away!”
“Look how wide I am now.
Well, what's it like?
Am I replenished? - “Almost nothing.”
“Well, how now?” - “Everything is the same.” Puffed and puffed
And my idea ended with
That, not being equal to Vol,
With an effort it burst and died.
There is more than one example of this in the world:
And is it a wonder when a tradesman wants to live,
As a distinguished citizen,
And the fry is small, like a noble nobleman.
(Translation by I. Krylov. The content of the fable is borrowed from Phaedrus)
His heroes are those who know how to arrange their own destiny. V. A. Zhukovsky, who himself translated La Fontaine’s fables, spoke about them like this: “Don’t look for his morality in his fables - there is none!” And Rousseau and Lamartine generally expressed doubt about the usefulness of La Fontaine’s fables for children, because they interpret vice as inevitable and do not develop a sense of pity in children.
But his fables express sympathy for ordinary people and condemnation of idleness.
Lafontaine
The Farmer and his Sons 
Work as hard as you can
Without resting your hands! The work is the same treasure.
One peasant, being rich
And standing on the edge of the grave,
He called his children and told them so
He is without witnesses, on his deathbed:
“A rich treasure is buried in the ancestral land,
Sell it - God protect you!
I myself do not know where it is hidden;
But you, with the help of work and patience,
You will find it without a doubt.
You are in August, having finished threshing,
Plow the field immediately:
Let the plow pass everywhere,
Dig, rummage there in the wild,
The smallest corner in the field
Walk along and across."
He died. The sons dug up the whole field,
They searched here and there. Next year
It gave double income
But the treasure was never discovered in the ground.
Father in his own special way
He showed them that labor is the same treasure.
He ridicules the arrogance, vanity and arrogance of the aristocracy, its meanness, stinginess, pettiness and cowardice, thereby defending universal spiritual values. La Fontaine's fables are filled with the author's original and non-standard philosophy.
Lafontaine
Madman and Sage
A madman once threw stones at a sage, 
Chasing him; The sage tells him this:
"My friend! you're in the sweat of your brow
Worked; Here's a coin for that:
Work deservedly must be rewarded.
Look, there's a man passing by, he
Immensely rich
And he will probably reward your gifts generously.”
The fool walked towards the passerby in a hurry
Strike him in the hope of making a profit;
But he received a different reward:
A passing servant called the servants, and they hurried quickly
Beat up the Fool and drive away the barely alive one.
We see such madmen near kings:
To amuse the gentleman,
They are always ready to make you laugh.
Don't touch them to silence them.
Moreover, if you are not strong, then
No matter how angry you are, it will not help you;
Refer them to someone who can repay them.
(Translation by N. Yuryin)
At the same time, morality in his fables fades into the background. It was much more important for the author to express his own thoughts and feelings. His fables are characterized by philosophical reflections and numerous lyrical digressions.
Lafontaine
Lion and Mouse
The Mouse humbly asked Leo for permission
Set up a village nearby in a hollow
And so she said: “Although here, in the forests,
You are both mighty and glorious;
Although no one is equal to Leo in strength,
And his roar alone brings fear to everyone,
But who will guess the future?
Who knows? who will need whom?
And no matter how small I seem,
And maybe sometimes I’ll be useful to you.”
"You! - Leo screamed. - You pathetic creature!
For these daring words
You are worth death as punishment.
Get away, get away from here while you're still alive
Or your ashes will not be.”
Here the poor Mouse, unable to remember from fear,
She took off with all her might and left no trace of her.
However, this pride was not in vain for Leo:
Setting off to look for prey for lunch,
He got caught in a snare.
The strength in him is useless, the roar and groan are in vain,
No matter how he rushed or rushed,
But everything remained the hunter's prey,
And he was taken away in a cage to be shown to the people.
He remembered about the poor Mouse late here,
So that she could help him,
That the net would not survive from her teeth
And that his own arrogance ate him up.
Reader, loving the truth,
I will add to the fable, and not on my own
It is not in vain that people say:
Don't spit in the well, it will come in handy
Drink some water.
(Translation by I. Krylov. The content of the fable is borrowed from Aesop)
The language of La Fontaine's fables is distinguished by its liveliness and originality, sometimes it is close to folklore. La Fontaine's fables are like little comic plays.
Russian fabulists Sumarokov, Khemnitser, Izmailov, Dmitriev and even the famous Krylov also studied with Lafontaine. Krylov’s path as a fabulist began with the translation in 1805 of two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Cane” and “The Picky Bride.”
Jean de La Fontaine was born on July 8, 1621 in the French town of Chateau-Thierry, in Champagny, where his father, Charles de La Fontaine, served as a forester. At school, young Lafontaine did not show his bright abilities. At the age of twenty, after reading several books of spiritual content, he decided to enter the Saint-Magloire Seminary, but stayed there for only about a year. His example was followed by Brother Claude, who completed the course with success and became a priest.
When Jean was twenty-six years old, his father married him and handed over his duties as a forester. The demon of poetry had not yet visited La Fontaine at that time.
Once La Fontaine had to hear one of the odes recited; this made an impression on the future poet: he read all of Malherbe and tried to imitate him. But Malherbe alone could have spoiled La Fontaine’s taste if his friends Pentrel and Macroix had not advised him to read examples of other authors who were of greater importance in the literary world. Of the ancient authors, Plato and Plutarch soon became his favorites; he had to read them in translation, since Lafontaine did not know Greek. He was also interested in Horace and Virgil, whom he was able to understand in the original. Of his contemporary authors, he preferred Rabelais, Marot, De Periers, M. Renier and Ourfé.
Marriage did not change his changeable tastes. Maria Ericard, whom his parents forced him to marry in 1647, was a beautiful, intelligent woman; but nature did not endow her with a strong character, a love of order and work; In general, she did not have those qualities that could have a disciplinary influence on her husband. While she was reading novels, he was daydreaming about his own poems and the works of his favorites. The family happiness of the young spouses did not last long.
After the death of his father, La Fontaine, in his own words, “ate” the inheritance he received from him; his wife’s dowry also did not last long. Willy-nilly, the family had to be content with the content that Lafontaine received as a forester. He did not choose any other occupation for himself.
There is reason to assume that Lafontaine the forester limited himself to long walks through the forest, indulging in his natural inclination to daydreaming. Indeed, he apparently did very little work, since after many years of service he did not have some basic concepts about forestry and technology. He was fascinated by poetry; his first attempts were limited to small poems written on various occasions in life; in the Chateau-Tierres society these gizmos enjoyed great success. La Fontaine then conceived the idea of writing a comedy, but, lacking in inventiveness, he borrowed the intrigue from one of his favorite classics, changed the names of the characters, and followed the text of the original in an imitative form. But the chosen play was not suitable for the French theater; the author did not try to get it staged, but released it into the world; With this work, with a good version, La Fontaine attracted attention. He was 32 years old.
At that time, La Fontaine's relative, the king's adviser, Zhannart, introduced him to Superintendent Fouquet, who patronized writers. Fouquet invited him to become a permanent poet, assigning him a salary of a thousand livres. Every quarter of the year, La Fontaine presented one poem to his patron. La Fontaine later recalled with particular pleasure the years spent by Lafontaine in the luxurious surroundings of the Fouquet Palace.
From the time Fouquet fell out of favor, La Fontaine had to spend most of his time with his family; but, as before, he was burdened by the responsibilities of a family man. Even the son who was born to him was not able to tie him to his family.
Chateau-Thierry seemed like a grave to him. He followed his relative Jeannart to Limoges, who had been exiled with Madame Fouquet, whose affairs he managed. But he did not have to stay in Limoges long. Upon returning from there, he divided his time between Chateau-Thierry and Paris, where he first came with his wife, then alone.
Living in two houses upset his already badly shaken affairs; but, thanks to his characteristic carelessness and a considerable amount of selfishness, this very rarely bothered him. From this time on, his friendship began with Racine, whom La Fontaine met through Moliere. Racine was friendly with the critic Boileau, and Moliere was friendly with the writer Chappelle. A friendly circle formed, happily spending their leisure hours in conversations. Lafontaine was the soul of this company.
La Fontaine, meanwhile, was already forty years old, and he was still considered a salon poet. At this time, he was invited as a personal secretary by the Duchess of Orleans, the widow of Gaston, brother of Louis XIII. At the small Luxembourg court, where La Fontaine was kindly received, he soon managed to gain universal sympathy. The Duchess of Bouillon suggested that La Fontaine use his talent to imitate Ariosto and Boccaccio. This advice came in handy for the writer. Lafontaine made his debut with “La Jocondo”. This story, which represents a free imitation of Ariost, caused controversy. But, be that as it may, La Giaconda was a success, and La Fontaine wrote several more short stories of the same kind.
However, the nature of these latter works did not please Louis XIV and Colbert (French statesman). Moreover, the fall of Fouquet had not yet been forgotten. The monarch promised to return his favor to La Fontaine if he gave his word to “correct” - to change the nature of his works. Lafontaine gave his word. He decided to work for the benefit of the education and entertainment of the Dauphin, who was beginning his education. This was an honorable way to improve one’s reputation in the eyes of the monarch and his entourage. La Fontaine had the idea to imitate Phaedrus and Aesop, and he set to work.
The first collection of fables, consisting of six books, was published in 1668, under the modest title: “Aesop's Fables, Transposed in Verse by J. de La Fontaine”, it was dedicated to the Dauphin.
After the death of the Duchess of Orleans, Lafontaine received the patronage of Madame de La Sabliere, who gathered scientists and writers in her salon. Until the age of 72, Lafontaine remained a friend of the house of Madame de La Sablier, where he moved in the company of the most prominent people in France of that time. For twenty years he lived in the house of Madame de La Sabliere, without knowing any worries. Under such conditions, he completely surrendered to the demon of poetry, which did not leave him until his death.
La Fontaine's first fables met with a good reception and were a general success; further ones supported his reputation. He wrote the novel “Psyche” in fits and starts, in which the prose is interrupted in places by small poems. Subsequently, Corneille and Quino remade this novel into an opera, the music was written by Lully. La Fontaine's attempts in the field of dramatic literature were less successful. Only his short play “The Florentine” was staged, which contains scenes worthy of Moliere.
La Fontaine's poetic works do not in the least detract from his importance; how the fabulist La Fontaine became immortal. The fable, in the form that La Fontaine gave it, is one of the happiest creations of the human mind. His fables fascinate him with their vitality; the illusion is complete: the fable was experienced by the author, and therefore captivates the reader. Lafontaine really sees what he describes. Strictly speaking, you don’t read or remember La Fontaine’s fables: you watch and hear them.
It should not be assumed that before La Fontaine the French did not have a fable: one of the best works of this kind, “The Fox's Romance,” represents a true story from the life of medieval feudal lords; The characters are animals, allegorically depicting people.
Lafontaine directly used ancient originals: Aesop, Phaedrus, Bidpai - these are his usual examples. La Fontaine's originality is not limited to his mind and imagination; it is also manifested in his language. His style is elegant, natural, unique.
After the publication of the second collection of fables, which La Fontaine presented to Louis XIV, the fabulist was elected a member of the Paris Academy. The meetings of the Academy interested him very much, and he attended them carefully.
During La Fontaine's serious illness, when his death was expected from day to day, his patroness, Madame de La Sabliere, died in solitude. After Lafontaine's recovery, one of his friends, Guervar, invited him to stay at his hotel on the Rue Platrière. In these luxurious chambers, decorated with works by Minyard, La Fontaine spent the last two years of his life. He also attended the Academy, but began to go to church more often; he translated several psalms into poetic form and continued to write fables. In addition, he took an active part in the education of the young Duke of Burgundy. Until his death, Lafontaine retained his freshness of mind and courtesy of communication.
La Fontaine died peacefully on February 13, 1695, after several months of extreme weakness, at the age of 74. When his old friend Macroix received news of his death, he wrote touching lines: “My dear and faithful friend, Monsieur de La Fontaine, has died. We were friends for more than fifty years, and I thank God that until my old age not a single cloud darkened our friendship, and that I loved him equally tenderly to the very end. I did not know a more sincere and truthful person than La Fontaine: I don’t know if he lied at least once in his life.”
Text adaptation: Iris Review
short biography
French poet, writer, famous fabulist, member of the French Academy - was born in the province of Champagne, in Chateau-Thierry on July 8, 1621. His father was a state forester, so the childhood of the future celebrity was spent in nature. Jean received his initial education at a village school, then at Reims College. Later he studied law at the Paris Oratorian Seminary, because his father saw him as a priest in the future, but poetry and philosophy fascinated La Fontaine much more.
In 1647, La Fontaine returned to Champagne, took over his father's position and, at his insistence, at the age of 26, married the very young Marie Ericard. However, this is not at all the turning point in his biography. Official and family responsibilities leave him indifferent, and soon Lafontaine goes to the capital, where he plans to lead a completely different lifestyle, to engage only in literary activities.
His calculation turned out to be correct: he quickly gained patrons among the nobility, managed to achieve fame in the literary field, and found friends, including among very famous people, in particular, the Prince of Condé, Madame de Lafayède, La Rochefoucauld, etc. The famous minister Fouquet made him owner of a large pension. At the same time, Louis XIV did not like the poet too much: he did not like the short stories that came out of his pen with too frivolous content, in addition, he was not impressed by the irresponsibility and frivolity of the writer, who did not want to acknowledge any responsibilities. For obvious reasons, the church did not approve of his work. At one time, the king even prevented La Fontaine from being elected a member of the academy. This event became somewhat belated, occurring only in 1684.
The writer’s lifestyle was purely secular, he did not deny himself the pleasures that his position made available, including love affairs, and his communication with the family who remained on the estate was reduced mainly to rare correspondence with his wife. Only his friends forced him to at least sometimes make short visits to his homeland. The poet was of very little interest to his own children; once he did not even recognize his son, who had grown up a lot after his last meeting with his father.
Lafontaine entered great literature in 1654, when he was already 33 years old. From his pen came works of various literary genres, for example, madrigals, ballads, odes, epistles, plays, eclogues. And only in 1668 La Fontaine first appeared in the role of a fabulist, which brought him world fame: this year the first edition of Aesop's Fables, translated into verse by M. de La Fontaine, was published, consisting of six books. The second edition, published in 1678, already had 11 volumes; in 1694, the last edition was published in 12 books. Relying on the heritage of ancient authors, using their external plots, Jean de La Fontaine, in fact, acted as the creator of a new genre and thereby secured his rightful place in the history of literature. The fables made him one of the great national poets and were translated into various languages of the world.
In the last years of his life, under the influence of communication with Madame de Sablier, Lafontaine rethought his views, became more pious and abandoned frivolous works. At the age of 73, he died on April 13, 1695 in Paris.
Biography from Wikipedia
His father served in the forestry department, and Lafontaine spent his childhood among forests and fields. At the age of twenty, he entered the Oratorian brotherhood to prepare for the clergy, but was more interested in philosophy and poetry. By his own admission, he was fond of D'Urfe's Astrea. It was the libretto of Colasse's opera "Astraea" that turned out to be La Fontaine's last work (the 1691 production turned out to be a complete failure).
In 1647, La Fontaine's father transferred his position to him and convinced him to marry a fourteen-year-old girl, Marie Héricart. He took his new responsibilities, both official and family, very lightly, and soon left for Paris, where he lived his whole life among friends, admirers and admirers of his talent; He forgot about his family for years and only occasionally, at the insistence of friends, went to his homeland for a short time.
His correspondence with his wife, whom he made the confidant of his many romantic adventures, has been preserved. He paid so little attention to his children that, having met his adult son in the same house, he did not recognize him. In Paris, Lafontaine was a brilliant success; Fouquet awarded him a large pension. He lived in Paris first with the Duchess of Bouillon, then, when the latter died and he left her house, he met his acquaintance d’Hervart, who invited him to live with him. “That’s exactly where I was heading,” was the fabulist’s naive answer.
The version that in 1659-1665 La Fontaine maintained friendly relations with Moliere, Boileau and Racine looks dubious. Among La Fontaine's friends were definitely the Prince of Condé, La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Lafayette and others; only he did not have access to the royal court, since Louis XIV did not like a frivolous poet who did not recognize any duties. This delayed La Fontaine's election to the French Academy, of which he only became a member in 1684. During the “dispute about ancient and modern,” La Fontaine, not without hesitation, took the side of the former. Under the influence of Madame de Sablier, Lafontaine in the last years of his life was filled with piety and renounced his most frivolous writings.
In mid-December 1692, La Fontaine became seriously ill. He completely loses heart and loses his taste for life and worldly pleasures. Remembering his passion for theology in his youth, he takes up the Gospels and rereads them many times. Lafontaine is haunted by the question of the existence of heaven and hell. The author of frivolous stories wonders whether he faces eternal punishment and expresses remorse for his stories.
Creation
Early works
La Fontaine's first published work was the comedy "The Eunuch" ( Eunuque, 1654), which was a reworking of the work of the same name by Terence. In 1658, La Fontaine presented his patron Fouquet with the poem “Adonis” ( Adonis), written under the influence of Ovid, Virgil and possibly Marino. Having temporarily become the “official” poet of Fouquet, La Fontaine took up the description of the palace in Vaux-le-Vicomte that belonged to the minister. Since it was necessary to describe the architectural and park ensemble that had not yet been completed, La Fontaine built his poem in the form of a dream ( Songe de Vaux). However, due to Fouquet's disgrace, work on the book was interrupted. In 1662, the poet allowed himself to stand up for his patron in an ode addressed to the king ( l'Ode au Roi), as well as in “Elegy to the Nymphs of Vaud” ( L'elégie aux nymphes de Vaux). By this act he apparently incurred the wrath of Colbert and the king.
"Fairy tales"
“Tales” began to be published in 1664. The first collection included two fairy tales - “Giocondo” ( Joconde) and “The Beaten and Satisfied Cuckold”; the first of them, based on one of the episodes of Ariosto’s poem “The Furious Roland,” caused a lively literary controversy. Subsequent editions of Tales were published in 1665, 1671 and 1674. Lafontaine drew their plots from Boccaccio and the collection “One Hundred New Short Stories”. In La Fontaine's view, the most important feature of the genre was to be stylistic and subject diversity. Of all the fairy tales, the “New Fairy Tales” were the most frivolous in nature, which provoked numerous accusations of obscenity and were immediately banned. It is interesting that, simultaneously with fairy tales, La Fontaine worked on works of a pious nature, partly marked by the influence of Jansenism, including the “Poem on the Captivity of St. Malchus” ( Poème de la captivité de saint Malc, 1671) .
Publication "Fables"
The significance of La Fontaine for the history of literature lies in the fact that he created a new genre, borrowing the external plot from ancient authors (primarily Aesop and Phaedrus; in addition, La Fontaine drew from the Panchatantra and some Italian and Latin authors of the Renaissance). In 1668, the first six books of fables appeared, under the modest title: “Aesop's Fables, Translated into Poems by M. de La Fontaine” ( Fables d'Esope, mises en vers par M. de La Fontaine). It was the first collection that included the famous, later arranged by I. A. Krylov, “The Crow and the Fox” (more precisely, “The Raven and the Fox”, Le Corbeau et le Renard) and “Dragonfly and Ant” (more precisely, “Cicada and Ant”, La Cigale et la Fourmi).
The second edition, which already included eleven books, was published in 1678, and the third, with the inclusion of the twelfth and last book, at the end of 1693. The first two books are more didactic in nature; in the rest, Lafontaine becomes more and more free, combining didactics with the transmission of personal feelings.
The originality of didacticism
La Fontaine is least of all a moralist and, in any case, his morality is not sublime; he teaches a sober outlook on life, the ability to use circumstances and people, and constantly depicts the triumph of the clever and cunning over the simple-minded and kind; There is absolutely no sentimentality in it - his heroes are those who know how to arrange their own destiny. Already, and after him Lamartine, expressed doubt: how useful are La Fontaine’s fables for children, do they not accustom the reader to the inevitability of vice in a world ignorant of pity? V. A. Zhukovsky spoke especially categorically on this matter: “Don’t look for his morality in his fables - there is none!” Sometimes the morality of the “Fables” is compared with the precepts of Epicurus: the need for moderation and a wisely equanimous attitude towards life. In the fable “Horoscope” - a satire on astronomers - La Fontaine argues that the movement of the planets, the radiance of the sun, the change of seasons occur in their own way, independent of human laws. Similar thoughts are found in Francois Bernier. While affirming the divine origin of the world, the philosopher does not deny the existence of real natural causes that determine phenomena.
Poetics
The artistic significance of La Fontaine's fables is also contributed by the beauty of La Fontaine's poetic introductions and digressions, his figurative language, his special art of conveying movement and feelings with rhythm, and in general the amazing richness and variety of poetic form.
La Fontaine's fables are written in most cases in free verse; in the 17th century, the poetic nature of this genre itself was not welcomed by everyone - the fable was perceived primarily as an edification. He also complicated the relationship between plot and morality.
Y.B. Vipper, outlining the moments of the formation of classicism in the 17th century and some trends in its future development, tries to identify La Fontaine’s predecessors and those ideological and poetological features that will develop and be expressed in forms that are perfect and specific to his work: Charron’s democracy (contrasted with the aristocracy of Du Vert), whose influence was felt in the first book of La Fontaine's fables in 1668; "esprit gaulois"<галльский дух>, “the gift of a subtle compliment, a playful joke”, irony and artistic tact in the chansons and small poems of Philippe Deporte; the Epicurean tradition of the poetry of Pierre Motin, dating back to Clément Marot and the anacreontics of the Pleiades, continued in Contes; the artistic style of Rainier's satires, reflected in La Fontaine's lyrics. On the question of the attitude to tradition - the prototype of the debate about the “ancient” and the “new” - La Fontaine also inherits Rainier, who (in contrast to Malherbe, who “disdained the national” and believed that works, in order to be intelligible, “captivate […] with the purity [ ...] and the clarity of light phrases" (N. Boileau), should contain the minimum of ancient mythology) preferred "harmonic<его>solution", synthesis: following the principle of imitation of ancient samples, took into account the national tradition
"The Love of Psyche and Cupid"
A. Van Dyck. Cupid and Psyche. OK. 1638
A tribute to gallant literature was the prose work of La Fontaine - the story “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” ( Les amours de Psyché et de Cupidon, 1662), which is a reworking of the fourth and fifth books of Apuleius's novel The Golden Ass. Lafontaine presented the plot, well known to the reader of that time, in an elegant form reminiscent of an opera production. The book made a great impression on the Russian writer I. F. Bogdanovich, who created his poem “Darling” (1773) based on the same plot.
"Poem about the cinchona tree"
La Fontaine tried his hand at the genre of natural science poem, popular during the Renaissance and dating back to Lucretius. His "Poem about the Cinchona Tree" ( Poème du Quinquina, 1682) reads like a kind of advertisement for a new medicine (bark began to be imported to Europe in the middle of the 17th century with the assistance of Louis XIV).
Comedy
In the second half of the 1680s, La Fontaine wrote, in collaboration with the actor Charles Cheviler de Chanmelet, the comedies “Ragotin” based on the story of Scarron, “The Florentine” and “The Magic Cup” based on the story of Ariosto. Researchers noted that Lafontaine tried himself in various genres, incl. alien to his talent, and explained this by the need for diversity.
According to Dubos, “... when La Fontaine decided to compose comedies, they walked to the continuous whistle of the stalls; the fate of his operas is also known to everyone.”
The comedy “The Magic Cup” was translated into Russian, and this anonymous translation was published in 1788 by Nikolai Novikov without attribution.
Pushkin and Lafontaine
In the poem “Town,” speaking about his favorite books, Pushkin also writes in a humorous tone about the French writer. For him, Lafontaine is, first of all, the author of fables, which were part of the lyceum curriculum. The perception of La Fontaine through the prism of Rococo poetry is also noticeable here:
And you, dear singer,
Delightful poetry
Captivating hearts,
You are here, you careless lazy man,
The simple-hearted sage
Vanyusha Lafontaine!
The fountain “Girl with a Jug” in Tsarskoe Selo (P. P. Sokolov, 1816), created based on La Fontaine’s fable “The Milkmaid, or the Jug of Milk”, is described in the poem “Tsarskoe Selo Statue” by A. S. Pushkin (1830).
Krylov and Lafontaine
In 1805, young I. A. Krylov showed his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Reed” ( Le Chene et le Roseau) and "The Picky Bride" ( La Fille) to the famous poet I. I. Dmitriev, who approved his work. In January 1806, the fables were published in the first issue of the Moscow Spectator magazine; Thus began the journey of Krylov the fabulist. The outstanding Russian philologist Sergei Averintsev devoted one of his last reports to the problem of adapting the plots of La Fontaine's fables by Ivan Andreevich Krylov.
Some famous fables
- Wolf and Dog
- Wolf and Heron
- The Wolf and the Lamb
- Wolf, Goat and Kid
- Wolf Shepherd
- Raven and fox
- Thieves and donkey
- The Dove and the Ant
- Two Goats
- Two donkeys
- Two rats, an egg and a fox
- Oak and Reed
- Hare and tortoise
- Goat and fox
- Horse and donkey
- Kite and nightingale
- Little Rabbit, Weasel and Cat
- Grasshopper and ant
- Merchant, nobleman, shepherd and king's son
- Swan and cook
- Lion and mosquito
- Lion and Mouse
- Fox and Goat
- Fox and Heron
- Fox and grapes
- Horse and donkey
- Love and Madness
- Frog and rat
- Thrush and jug
- Sea and bee
- A mouse turned into a girl
- Nothing over the top
- Monkey and dolphin
- Monkey and cat
- Monkey and leopard
- The Oracle and the Atheist
- Eagle and Beetle
- Farmer and shoemaker
- Shepherd and lion
- Shepherd and sea
- Spider and swallow
- Rooster and pearl
- Gout and the spider
- Field mouse visiting the town mouse
- Fish and cormorant
- Teacher and pupil
- Priest and dead man
- Stingy and chicken
- Death and the Dying
- Dog with master's lunch
- Council of mice
- Old man and three young people
- Fortune and the boy
- Hornets and bees
- Schoolboy, mentor and garden owner
Beginning of literary activity
Jean de La Fontaine was born on July 8, 1621 in the small town of Chateau-Thierry (France), in the family of a provincial official. Since childhood, Lafontaine had a rebellious and daring character. His father served as a royal forester, and La Fontaine spent his childhood among forests and fields. Then his father sent him to study law at the Oratoire Seminary in Paris, but young Jean was mainly interested in philosophy and poetry.
Returning to his father's estate in Champagne, at the age of 26 he married 14-year-old Marie Ericard. The marriage was not the most successful, and La Fontaine, neglecting family responsibilities, went to Paris in 1647 with the intention of completely devoting himself to literary activity, where he lived his whole life among friends, admirers and admirers of his talent; He completely forgot about his family, not seeing his wife for years, writing letters to her from time to time. Meanwhile, from his correspondence with his wife, it becomes clear that he made her the confidant of his many romantic adventures, without hiding anything from her. How poor Marie felt at the same time is not easy to imagine. Only occasionally, at the insistence of friends, did he go home for a short time. He paid so little attention to his children that, when he met his adult son in the same house, he did not recognize him.
Epigram on the bond of marriage
Marry? How wrong! What's more painful than marriage?
Exchange the blessings of a free life for slavery!
The second one who married was certainly a fool,
And the first one - what can I say? - he was just a poor guy.
They tell this joke. One day, his wife came into his office and found her husband sobbing over his manuscript. When asked about the cause of grief, the husband, in an intermittent voice, read a chapter from the story in which the hero cannot unite with his beloved. La Fontaine's wife also began to cry and began to ask:
- Make sure they are still together!
“I can’t,” answered my husband, “I’m only writing the first volume.”
La Fontaine led an active social life, indulging in entertainment and love affairs, continuing to receive income from the hereditary position of “guardian of waters and forests,” which he lost in 1674 by order of Minister Colbert.
In Paris, the young poet came to court, becoming close to a circle of young writers who called themselves “Knights of the Round Table” and considered Jean Chaplin, one of the founders of the classicist doctrine, to be the highest authority. Under the influence of friends, he translated Terence's comedy "The Eunuch" (1654). His interest in theater remained throughout his life, but he found his true calling in small poetic genres. His fairy tales and fables, filled with vivid images, enjoyed constant success. La Fontaine's fables are remarkable for their variety, rhythmic perfection, and deep realism. Subsequently, some of La Fontaine's fables were talentedly translated into Russian by I. A. Krylov.
In 1658, he managed to find a patron in the person of the Minister of Finance Fouquet, to whom the poet dedicated several poems - including the poem "Adonis" (1658), written under the influence of Ovid, Virgil and, possibly, Marino, and the famous "Elegy to the Nymphs in Vaud" (1662), and who awarded the poet a large pension. Having temporarily become the “official” poet of Fouquet, La Fontaine took up the description of the palace in Vaux-le-Vicomte that belonged to the minister.
Since it was necessary to describe the not yet completed architectural and park ensemble, La Fontaine built his poem in the form of a dream (Songe de Vaux). However, due to Fouquet's disgrace, work on the book was interrupted. After the fall of Fouquet, Lafontaine, unlike many, did not renounce the disgraced nobleman. In 1662, the poet allowed himself to stand up for his patron in an ode addressed to the king (l'Ode au Roi), as well as in "Elegy to the Nymphs of Vaux" (L "elégie aux nymphes de Vaux). By this act, he apparently brought suffered the wrath of Colbert and the king, which is why he had to go into short-term exile in 1663. Upon returning to Paris, he won the favor of the Duchess of Bouillon - the mistress of the salon, where aristocrats gathered in opposition to the court, then, when the latter died, and he left her house, he met his acquaintance d'Hervart, who invited him to live with him: “That's where I was heading,” was the naive answer of the fabulist.
The version that in 1659-1665 La Fontaine maintained friendly relations with Moliere, Boileau and Racine looks dubious. Among La Fontaine's friends were definitely the Prince of Condé, La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Lafayette and others; only he did not have access to the royal court, since Louis XIV did not like a frivolous poet who did not recognize any duties. This delayed La Fontaine's election to the French Academy, of which he only became a member in 1684. During the “dispute about ancient and modern,” La Fontaine, not without hesitation, took the side of the former.
Publication of the first collection
In 1665, La Fontaine published his first collection, “Stories in Verse,” and then “Fairy Tales and Stories in Verse.” “Fairy Tales” began to be published in 1664. The first collection included two fairy tales - “Giocondo” (Joconde) and “The Beaten and Satisfied Cuckold”; the first of them, based on one of the episodes of Ariosto’s poem “The Furious Roland,” caused a lively literary controversy. Subsequent editions of Tales were published in 1665, 1671 and 1674. Lafontaine drew their plots from Boccaccio, the collection “One Hundred New Short Stories” and from ancient writers. In La Fontaine's view, the most important feature of the genre was to be stylistic and subject diversity. The graceful playfulness and gruff frankness of these short stories sounded like a kind of protest against the bigotry that had become established in the court environment. Of all the fairy tales, the “New Fairy Tales” were the most frivolous in nature, which provoked numerous accusations of obscenity. This displeased Louis XIV: the publication of "Fairy Tales" in France was prohibited, and the poet himself was subjected to oppression.
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| illustrations for the story “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” |
"Fables"
Someone once said about La Fontaine's fables, "It's a basket of beautiful cherries: you want to choose the best one, but you end up with an empty basket."
The fabulist himself said that you can get used to everything in the world, even to life.
“Sinners, whose fate everyone mourns, sooner or later get used to it and begin to feel like fish in water in hell,” he said.
More flies drown in honey than in vinegar.
It is doubly pleasant to deceive a deceiver.
Get me out of my difficulty first, my friend, and then you will read the moral lesson.
Most noble people are theatrical masks.
Of our enemies, we often need to fear the smallest ones the most.
From afar - something, close - nothing.
True greatness lies in self-control.
Every flatterer lives at the expense of the one who listens to him.
Love, love, when you take possession of us, we can say: forgive us, prudence!
We meet our destiny on the path we choose to escape it.
Sadness flies away on the wings of time.
There is nothing more dangerous than an ignorant friend.
A path strewn with flowers never leads to glory.
Hiding things from friends is dangerous; but it’s even more dangerous not to hide anything from them.
Patience and time give more than strength or passion.
The significance of La Fontaine for the history of literature lies in the fact that he created a new genre, borrowing the external plot from ancient authors (primarily Aesop and Phaedrus; in addition, La Fontaine drew from the Panchatantra and some Italian and Latin authors of the Renaissance). Remaining under the patronage of the Duchess of Bouillon until 1672 and wanting to please her, La Fontaine began writing “Fables,” which he called “a lengthy hundred-act comedy staged on the world stage.” In 1668, the first six books of fables appeared, under the modest title: “Aesop's Fables, translated into verse by M. de La Fontaine” (Fables d’Esope, mises en vers par M. de La Fontaine). It was the first collection that included the famous, later arranged by I. A. Krylov, “The Crow and the Fox” (more precisely, “The Raven and the Fox,” Le Corbeau et le Renard) and “Dragonfly and the Ant” (more precisely, “The Cicada and the Ant,” La Cigale et la Fourmi). The second edition, which already included eleven books, was published in 1678, and the third, including the twelfth and last book, at the end of 1693. The first two books are more didactic in nature; in the rest, Lafontaine becomes more and more free, combining didactics with the transmission of personal feelings.
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| Madame de la Sabliere |
La Fontaine's "Fables" are distinguished by their amazing variety, rhythmic perfection, skillful use of archaisms, a sober view of the world and vivid imagery. Like other fabulists, the poet often used personification, while relying on national tradition. Thus, already in the medieval “Romance of the Fox,” the wolf embodied a greedy and eternally hungry knight, the lion was the head of state, and the fox was the most cunning and sneaky among the inhabitants of the animal kingdom. In one of his most famous fables - “The Sea of Beasts” - Lafontaine, with the help of personification, created a panorama of the entire society: animals confess their sins in order to choose the most guilty and bring him as an atoning sacrifice to the gods. The lion, tiger, bear and other predators admit to bloodshed, violence, treachery, but the donkey, guilty of stealing a bunch of grass from the monastery field, has to bear the punishment for all. The poet considered allegory to be another means of generalization: in the programmatic fable-treatise “Stomach and Organs of the Body” he likens royal power to the stomach - gluttonous, but necessary for the normal life of the body, and in the fable “The Woodcutter and Death” he shows a peasant who, exhausted under an unbearable burden of taxes, corvee and soldiers' quarters, yet refuses "liberation", because a person prefers any suffering to death. La Fontaine’s attitude to “morality” deserves special attention, which is such a natural conclusion from the depicted situation that it is often put into the mouth of one of the characters. The poet himself argued that a fable should educate only by introducing the reader to the world. The refusal to edify is in clear contradiction with the instructive nature of the fable, which has been considered an integral feature of the genre since the time of Aesop. A hundred years later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, perceiving this deep-seated “immoralism,” rebelled against the fact that La Fontaine’s fables were given to children for whom, however, they were never intended to be read.
In 1732, Pierre Huber Subleyrat (1699 – 1749), the famous French artist and portrait painter, painted the canvas “The Loaded Saddle” based on La Fontaine’s fable about how a donkey kept a woman’s fidelity. The hero of the fable is an artist who was insanely jealous of his wife. Every time, leaving home even for a short time, he drew a donkey on his wife’s private part, naively believing that the picture would certainly be erased during love games if his missus decided to cheat on him. And therefore, fearing exposure, she will probably try to remain faithful until his arrival. However, another artist turned out to be a lucky rival. And, although the image of the donkey was erased, the lover before that managed to carefully copy it onto a sheet of paper. But, while drawing the donkey back onto the body, he couldn’t resist putting a saddle on it. Well, you understand with what hint (“dear friend, I loaded your ox”).
Unsolvable problem
Having achieved the favor of one lady, Duke Philip the Good was so captivated by her golden hair that he founded the Order of the Golden Fleece in their honor.
(From an ancient chronicle)
One is not so much evil as a black devil,
Great joker, hunter of miracles,
Helped the lover with advice.
The next day he possessed the object of his love.
By agreement with the demon, our hero
Love's captivating game
I could enjoy it to the fullest.
The demon said: "The obstinate girl
It won't stand, you can trust me.
But know this: in payment to Satan
It is not you who will serve me, as usual,
And I'll tell you. You give me an order
I do it myself
All orders and immediately
I come for others. But we have
The condition with you is one for each time:
You must speak quickly and directly
Otherwise, goodbye to your beautiful lady.
If you hesitate, you won’t see her
Neither your body nor your soul.
Then Satan takes them by right,
And Satan will give them a great finish.”
Having thought this way and that, my admirer
Gives consent. Ordering is not a thing,
To obey is where the torment lies!
Their contract is signed. Our hero
He hurries to his beloved without hindrance
With her he plunges into love pleasures,
Ascends in bliss to heaven,
But here's the problem: damn demon
It always sticks out over their bed.
He is given one task after another:
Replace the July heat with a blizzard,
Build a palace, erect a bridge over the river.
The demon just shuffles his foot as he leaves
And he immediately returns with a bow.
Our gentleman lost count of doubloons,
Flocked into his pocket.
He started chasing the demon with his knapsack into the Vatican
For remission of sins, large and small.
And how many demons dragged them around!
No matter how difficult or long the path may be,
He didn't bother the demon at all.
And now my gentleman is already in confusion,
He exhausted his imagination
He feels that the brain is his
He won't invent anything else.
Chu!.. something creaked... Was it the devil? And in fright
He turns to his friend
He tells her what happened, everything in full.
“Just what?” she answered him.
Well we'll stop the threat
Let's take the thorn out of the heart.
Tell him when he comes again,
Let him straighten this one out.
Let's see how the devil's work goes."
And the lady extracts something,
Barely noticeable, from the fairy labyrinth,
From the secret sanctuary of Cypris, -
What the ruler of the past days was so captivated by,
As they say, well-worn,
That this funny object was elevated to knighthood
And the Order established, whose rules are so strict,
That only gods are worthy to be in its ranks.
The lover to the devil says: “Here, take it,
You see this thing curling.
Spread it out and straighten it out,
Just be quicker, come on!”
The demon laughed, jumped up and disappeared.
He put the thing under the press.
Not so! I took the blacksmith's hammer,
Soaked in brine all day,
Steamed, dried and put in lye and malt,
Placed it in the sun, and then in the shade:
I tried both hot and cold.
Don `t move! Damn thread
You can’t straighten it out this way or that way.
The demon almost cries at the end -
Can't straighten hair!
On the contrary: the longer it beats,
The steeper the curl curls.
"What could it be? -
The stag wheezes, sitting down on a stump tiredly. -
I have never seen such material in my life,
All Latin won’t help here!”
And he comes to his lover that same night.
"Ready to leave you alone,
I am defeated and I admit it.
Take your little thing,
Just tell me: what is this?”
And he responded: “You give up, Satan!
You somehow quickly lost the hunt!
And I could give all the demons a job,
We’re not the only one with this thing!”
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| ill. Umberto Brunelleschi to La Fontaine's fables |
In 1688, Marguerite de Sabliers retired to an almshouse that provided shelter for incurable patients. However, she still provides accommodation for Lafontaine. The poet becomes close to Prince Francois-Louis de Bourbon-Conti. For some time, Lafontaine meets with the scandalous Mrs. Ulrich.
In 1691, the production of La Fontaine's opera "Astrea" (L "Astree) to the music of Kolassa fails. In mid-December 1692, La Fontaine becomes seriously ill and does not get out of bed for several months. He completely loses heart, especially when he learns about the illness of his precious patron Madame de Sablier: La Fontaine loses his taste for life and worldly pleasures.Marguerite de Sablier dies on January 8, 1693.
Message from Madame de la Sablière
Now that I'm old and the muse is following me
He's about to step over the earthly boundary,
And my mind - my torch - will be extinguished by the dull night,
Is it really possible to waste days, sad and sighing,
And complain for the rest of my time
The fact that he lost everything he could have owned.
If Heaven saves at least a spark for the poet
The fire with which he shone in bygone years,
He must use it, remembering that
That the golden sunset is the road into the night, into Nothingness.
The years run and run, no strength, no prayers,
Neither sacrifices, nor fasting - nothing will prolong it.
We are greedy for everything that can entertain us,
And who is as wise as you to neglect this?
And if there is someone, I’m not of that breed!
I am averse to solid joys by nature
And I abused the best of blessings.
A conversation about nothing, an intricate trifle,
Novels and games, the plague of different republics,
Where is the strongest mind, stumbling over temptations,
Let's trample all laws and all rights, -
In short, in those passions that only fools can match,
I squandered both my youth and my life carelessly.
There are no words, any evil will inevitably retreat,
A person will indulge in some genuine blessings.
But I wasted a century for false benefits.
Are there not enough of us like that? We are happy to make an idol
From money, honors, from sensual pleasure.
Tantalus from birth, we are just forbidden fruit
From the beginning of our days to the end it attracts.
But now you are old, and your passions are beyond your years,
And every day and hour he repeats this to you,
And you would get drunk for the last time if you could,
But how to predict your last threshold?
It’s short, the remaining term, even if it lasted years!
If only I were wise (but by the graces of nature
There is not enough for everyone), alas, Iris, alas!
Oh, if only I could be smart like you
I would use some of your lessons.
Completely - no way! But it would be great
Make some kind of plan, not difficult, so that you get out of the way
It was not a crime to get off on occasion.
Ah, it’s beyond my strength to not be mistaken at all!
But to rush after every bait,
Running, trying hard - no, I’m fed up with all this!
“It’s time, it’s time to finish!” everyone tells me.
You have lived through twelve five years,
And three times the twenty years that you spent in the world,
We haven't seen you live peacefully for an hour.
But everyone will notice, seeing you at least once,
Your temperament is changeable and easy to enjoy.
With your soul you are a guest in everything and a guest only for a moment,
In love, in poetry, in business - it’s all the same.
We will tell you all about this only one thing:
You are willing to change - in manner, genre, style.
In the morning you are Terence, and in the evening you are Virgil,
But you didn’t give anything perfect.
So take a new path, try it too.
Call all nine muses, dare, torment any one!
If you fail, it’s not a problem, there will be another opportunity.
Just don’t touch the short stories, they were so good!”
And I’m ready, Iris, I confess from the bottom of my heart,
Follow the advice - smart, you can't be smarter!
You couldn't say it was better or stronger.
Or maybe this is your, yes, your advice again?
I'm ready to admit that I - well, how can I tell you? -
Parnassus moth, a bee whose properties
Plato tried on for our device.
The creature is light, I have been fluttering for many years
I go from flower to flower, from object to object.
There is not much glory in that, but there is a lot of pleasure.
To the Temple of Memory - who knows? - and I would enter like a genius,
When I would play one thing without plucking the other strings.
But where am I! I am in poetry, as in love, a flyer
And I paint my portrait without any false background:
I don’t try to cover up my vices with confession.
I just want to say, without any "ah!" yes "oh!"
Why is my temperament good and why is it bad?
As soon as reason illuminated my life and soul,
I flushed, I recognized the attraction to mischief,
And not the only captivating passion since then
Like a tyrant, the government imposed its power on me.
No wonder, they say, a slave to idle desires
I wasted my whole life, like my youth, in temptations.
Why am I polishing every syllable and verse here?
Perhaps there’s no point: maybe they’ll praise them?
After all, I am powerless to follow their advice.
Who begins to live having already seen Lethe?
And I did not live: I was a servant of two despots,
And the first is idle noise, Cupid is the other tyrant.
What does it mean to live, Iris? This is nothing new for you to teach.
I even hear you, your answer is ready.
Live for the highest blessings, they lead to good.
Use only your leisure and labor for them,
Honor the Almighty, as the grandfathers did,
Take care of your soul, Filid has given it from everyone,
Drive away the intoxication of love, powerless vows of words -
That hydra that is always alive in people's hearts.
During his illness, Lafontaine reads a lot. Remembering his passion for theology in his youth, he takes up the Gospels and rereads them many times. Imbued with divine truths, he asks to meet with a priest. The young Abbot Pouget visits him, and they talk about faith and religion for almost two weeks in a row. Lafontaine is haunted by the question of the existence of heaven and hell. The author of frivolous stories wonders whether he faces eternal punishment and whether he can be considered a sinner. Having learned about the poet’s fears, Pouget makes every effort to convince him to publicly renounce his “unholy” stories (“fairy tales”). February 12, 1693 La Fontaine expresses repentance for his stories in the face of a delegation from the Academy that specially arrived to see him. On the advice of the abbot, La Fontaine destroys the newly completed essay, promises to live the rest of his life in prayer and piety and from now on write only religious works.
By May, the illness had subsided, and Lafontaine could once again attend meetings of the Academy. He keeps his promise to the abbot and translates the poem “The Day of Judgment” from Latin (its author is considered to be the Italian Tommaso da Celano). The text of the translation will be read at the gala meeting of the Academy on the occasion of the election of de La Bruyère. The poet's light and graceful style leaves a pleasant impression, despite the fact that the plot is not as funny as in "Giocondo" or "The Beaten and Satisfied Cuckold." In September 1693, the 12th book of fables was published. The poet dedicates it to the young Duke of Burgundy, the grandson of Louis XIV.
Some time after the death of Madame de Sablier, the sad and sick Lafontaine accepts the invitation (1694) of long-time friends, the d'Hervar couple, whom he met while still in the service of Fouquet, and moves in with them. Lafontaine did not live even a year in d'Hervar's house, but this last year of his life was full of events. He often goes to the Academy, where his authority is steadily growing. The poet actively participates in the preparation of the first edition of the Dictionary of the French Academy, published in August 1694. La Fontaine even finds time to visit his wife in Chateau-Thierry. This is their last meeting...
The disease made itself felt again at the beginning of 1695. One February evening, on the way from the Academy, Lafontaine felt ill. Returning home, he writes a sad letter to his faithful friend Mocrois. Mocrois supports him as best he can and tries to encourage him: “If God pleases to restore your health, I hope you will come to spend the rest of your days with me and we will often talk about God’s mercy.” La Fontaine died on April 13, 1695, in his seventy-fourth year. During preparations for the funeral ceremony, it was discovered that the poet’s body was tormented by a hair shirt, which he, no doubt, had been wearing for a long time. Lafontaine was buried in the Saint-Innocent cemetery.
Thanks to La Fontaine, the literary genre of fables significantly expands its creative possibilities. All subsequent fabulists, including Russian poets of the 18th and early 19th centuries, were able to take advantage of his experience and techniques. Sumarokov, Khemnitser, Izmailov, Dmitriev, and even the famous Krylov studied with Lafontaine. The folk content of the fables unites these two authors, who worked at different times and won, thanks to their creativity, world fame. Pushkin himself admired La Fontaine's Fairy Tales, considering them the pinnacle of the achievements of playful Western European poetry.
History of the fountain “Girl with a Jug”
In 1808–1810, Alexander I gave the order to begin the improvement of the area where Katalnaya Gora used to be. The work was supervised by garden master I. Bush and architect L. Ruska. Between the Big Pond and the Granite Terrace there was a slope, which was designed in the form of green ledges, paths were laid, and the mouth of the side channel was turned into a fountain (designed by engineer A. Betancourt). At this moment, the idea arose to decorate this area of the park with sculptures. But the figure of the “Milkmaid” appeared here only in the summer of 1816. The statue was made by the then famous sculptor P. P. Sokolov. The source of the plot was La Fontaine’s fable “The Milkwoman, or the Jug of Milk.”
Comfortably and lightly dressed,
Putting a jug of milk on his head,
In a short skirt, almost barefoot,
I hurried to the city to the Peretta market.
Inspiring yourself with a cheerful dream,
The young thrush decided
What will the supplier do with money:
“Then I’ll buy eggs and hatch chickens,
At home, in the yard, I will feed them perfectly,
The fox will try to climb up to them in vain;
I thought it all out cunningly, cleverly and subtly;
Having sold the chickens, I will, of course, buy a pig,
To raise a pig, the cost will be a penny,
After all, my pig is both large and good,
And I will get a lot of money for it.
I wish I knew what would stop me
Don't unnecessarily burden your wallet,
And choose a cow and a bull in the city,
I will have a worthy reward for my efforts
Watch them jump among the herd.”
Then she jumped so high herself,
That, having dropped the jug, she spilled the milk.
New losses were added to it:
A bull, a pig, a cow and chickens died.
With despair, full of melancholy,
She looks at the shards
On the ruined puddle of milk,
Afraid of facing an angry husband.
All this turned into a fable later.
Under the name "Milk Jug".
Who thought only about daily matters,
Without building castles in the air?
There is darkness everywhere for dreamers,
Some are stupid, others are crazy.
Everyone is daydreaming; It makes us happy to dream:
Sweet deception lifts us to heaven.
There is no limit or end to our dreams:
All honors for us, all women's hearts!
I'm alone, like everyone else, dreaming,
I send a challenge to the bravest,
In my dreams I am already a king, beloved by the people,
I take all new crowns, invincible, -
How long will life be a merciless hand
He will not awaken me by returning my appearance.
Translation by B.V. Kakhovsky
Pushkin and Lafontaine
In the poem “Town,” speaking about his favorite books, Pushkin also writes in a humorous tone about the French writer. For him, Lafontaine is, first of all, the author of fables, which were part of the lyceum curriculum. The perception of La Fontaine through the prism of Rococo poetry is also noticeable here:
And you, dear singer,
Delightful poetry
Captivating hearts,
You are here, you careless lazy man,
The simple-hearted sage
Vanyusha Lafontaine!
Krylov and Lafontaine
In 1805, young I. A. Krylov showed his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Cane” (Le Chene et le Roseau) and “The Picky Bride” (La Fille) to the famous poet I. I. Dmitriev, who approved his work . In January 1806, the fables were published in the first issue of the Moscow Spectator magazine; Thus began the journey of Krylov the fabulist. The outstanding Russian philologist Sergei Averintsev devoted one of his last reports to the problem of adapting the plots of La Fontaine's fables by Ivan Andreevich Krylov.
Lafontaine's fables in the novel by M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"
“Cat” according to the horoscope, M. Bulgakov probably deliberately decorated his novel with allusions to La Fontaine’s fable “The Cat Turned into a Woman”: “Drive nature through the door - it will fly into the window!” (translated by N. Karamzin). Margarita either “scratches quietly” or “figures out exactly which windows of Latunsky’s apartment” in order to fly into them. The motif of the cat-witch, used by N. Gogol (“May Night”, 1831), was also close to A. Druzhinin (“cat manners” by Polinka Sax (1847). “And I want to go to the basement” (chapter 24), declares Master.
The poet Ryukhin (chapter 6) “warmed a snake on his chest” (Lafontaine, “Le villageois et le serpent”), and Professor Kuzmin (chapter 18) sees an “orphan black kitten” (“Do you love a cat? Love: he’s an orphan,” A. Izmailov, “Black Cat,” 1824). In I. Krylov’s fable “The Pike and the Cat,” “the master’s work is afraid,” and his “Demyanov’s ear” is stylized in the “Griboyedov” conversation between the writers Ambrose and Foki (chapter 5).
The opposition of head and legs (Berlioz), head and entrails (barman Variety), along with the keyword “members of MASSOLIT,” can be perceived as a reminder of the vocabulary of A. Sumarokov in his translation of La Fontaine’s fable “Les membres et l"estomac”:
A member helps a member in society...
All the members and the head itself is brainless
Resting in a coffin
(“Head and Members”, 1762).
In “The Dream of Nikanor Ivanovich” (chapter 15) the phrase of the artist-investigator sounds: “These are the fables of La Fontaine that I have to listen to.” After all, they can throw “a child, an anonymous letter, a proclamation, an infernal machine...”, but not currency. Arguments in favor of giving up money are reminiscent of I. Krylov’s fable “The Miser” (1825):
Drink, eat and be merry
And spend them without fear!
It is the presence of fable sources that explains the inaccurate presentation of the entertainer of “The Miserly Knight”: the baron allegedly died “from a blow to his chest with currency and stones.” From I. Krylov:
Stingy with a key in his hand
I died of hunger on the chest -
And all the chervonets are intact.
Lafontaine’s idyllic-apocalyptic “fairy tale” “Philemon and Baucis” translated by I. Dmitriev (1805), in our opinion, influenced the depiction of the fate of the Master and Margarita (Jupiter - Woland):
"Couple! follow me,” said the father of fate. —
Now judgment will be carried out: to your homeland
I will spill all my vial of anger...
Death overnight is a blessing for M. Bulgakov’s heroes. From I. Dmitriev:
Oh, if only we had the genius of death
Touched both at the same hour.
Lafontaine’s story “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” permeates Bulgakov’s novel: it has its own walk of writers in Versailles (along the alleys of the Patriarch’s Ponds), and the theme of light and darkness, and the adventures of a woman in the beyond world, and even a unique sunset at the end. In La Fontaine, Acanthus (Racine) invites friends to admire the falling nature: “Acanthus was given the opportunity to slowly enjoy the last beauties of the day.” From M. Bulgakov: “A group of horsemen waited for the master in silence” (chapter 31). The comparison of these two masterpieces is the topic of a special work also because the question arises about “Darling” (1783) by I. Bogdanovich. Thus, Margarita’s pose on the window (chapter 20), when she “made a thoughtful and poetic face,” teasing the “hog,” no longer parodies La Fontaine, but L. Tolstoy, who was undoubtedly influenced by him (“War and Peace,” vol. 2 , part 3, chapter III): “Darling, my dear, come here. Well, do you see?
The “chain” of people overcome with laughter or sorrow, which La Fontaine’s heroes speak about, paraphrasing Plato, also appears in A. Chekhov (“Student”, 1894): “And it seemed to him that he had just seen both ends of this chain: he touched to one end, as the other trembled.” In “The Master and Margarita,” thanks to the cries of Nikanor Ivanovich (“an expert” in fables), “anxiety was transmitted to the 120th room, where the patient woke up and began to look for his head, and to the 118th, where the unknown master became worried and wrung his hands in anguish. hands, looking at the moon... From room 118, alarm flew over the balcony to Ivan, and he woke up and cried” (chapter 15).
LAFONTAINE (La Fontaine) Jean de (1621-1695), French writer. In "Fairy Tales and Stories in Verse" (vols. 1-5, 1665-85), comedies and the famous "Fables" (vols. 1-12, 1668-94) he appears as a thinker and satirist, relying on folk wisdom and folklore.
LAFONTAINE (La Fontaine) Jean de (July 8, 1621, Chateau-Thierry - April 14, 1695, Paris), French poet, famous as a fabulist.
Beginning of literary activity
Lafontaine was born in a small town, in the family of a provincial official. His parents sent him to study law at the Oratoire Seminary in Paris. Returning to his father's estate in Champagne, at the age of 26 he married 15-year-old Marie Ericard. The marriage was unsuccessful, and La Fontaine, neglecting family responsibilities, went to Paris in 1647 with the intention of completely devoting himself to literary activity. Until 1674, he continued to receive income from the hereditary position of “guardian of waters and forests,” which he lost by order of Minister Colbert. In the capital, Lafontaine became close to a circle of young writers who called themselves “Knights of the Round Table” and considered Jean Chaplin, one of the founders of the classicist doctrine, to be the highest authority. Under the influence of friends, he translated Terence's comedy "The Eunuch" (1654). His interest in theater remained throughout his life, but he found his true calling in small poetic genres.
In 1658, he managed to find a patron in the person of the Minister of Finance Fouquet, to whom several poems are dedicated - including the poem "Adonis" (1658) and the famous "Elegy to the Nymphs in Vaud" (1662). After the fall of Fouquet, Lafontaine, unlike many, did not renounce the disgraced nobleman, which is why in 1663 he had to go into short-term exile. Upon returning to Paris, he won the favor of the Duchess of Bouillon, the owner of the salon where aristocrats who were in opposition to the court gathered.
Publication of the first collection
In 1665, La Fontaine published his first collection “Stories in Verse”, and then “Fairy Tales and Stories in Verse” (books 1-5, 1665-85), the plots of which were mostly borrowed from ancient writers and writers of the Renaissance (mainly y). The graceful playfulness and gruff frankness of these short stories sounded like a kind of protest against the bigotry that had become established in the court environment. This caused discontent: the publication of "Fairy Tales" in France was banned, and the poet himself was subjected to harassment. “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” (1669), a prose story with poetic inserts, written based on an inserted short story from Apuleius’s novel “The Golden Ass,” was also considered very risky in content.
"Fables"
Remaining under the patronage of the Duchess of Bouillon until 1672 and wanting to please her, La Fontaine began to write “Fables” (books 1-6, 1669; books 7-11, 1679-1679; book 12, 1694), which he called “a lengthy hundred-act a comedy staged on the world stage." Having chosen the Marquise de la Sablière as his new patroness and made the king “a promise to come to his senses,” the poet in 1684 was elected a member of the French Academy. This was not prevented by a fairly free interpretation of the “doctrine”: La Fontaine, always distinguished by his independent character, questioned the concept of impeccable correctness as the law of beauty and defended “liberties” in versification. At the same time, he did not go beyond the framework of classicist aesthetics, fully accepting its principles such as strict selection of material, clarity of expression of thought, transparency of poetic form, and internal harmony of the work. In 1687, La Fontaine actively intervened in the dispute between the “ancient and the new” by writing “An Epistle to the Bishop of Soissons Huet,” where he challenged the views of Fontenelle: in particular, he criticized their opinion about the superiority of the French nation and argued that all peoples are equally talented.
La Fontaine entered the history of literature, first of all, as the author of "Fables", which are distinguished by their amazing diversity, rhythmic perfection, skillful use of archaisms, a sober view of the world and vivid imagery. Like other fabulists, the poet often used personification, while relying on national tradition. Thus, already in the medieval “Romance of the Fox,” the wolf embodied a greedy and eternally hungry knight, the lion was the head of state, and the fox was the most cunning and sneaky among the inhabitants of the animal kingdom. In one of his most famous fables - “The Sea of Beasts” - Lafontaine, with the help of personification, created a panorama of the entire society: animals confess their sins in order to choose the most guilty and bring him as an atoning sacrifice to the gods. The lion, tiger, bear and other predators admit to bloodshed, violence, treachery, but the donkey, guilty of stealing a bunch of grass from the monastery field, has to bear the punishment for all. The poet considered allegory to be another means of generalization: in the programmatic fable-treatise “Stomach and Organs of the Body” he likens royal power to the stomach - gluttonous, but necessary for the normal life of the body, and in the fable “The Woodcutter and Death” he shows a peasant who, exhausted under an unbearable burden of taxes, corvee and soldiers' quarters, yet refuses "liberation", because a person prefers any suffering to death. La Fontaine’s attitude to “morality” deserves special attention, which is such a natural conclusion from the depicted situation that it is often put into the mouth of one of the characters. The poet himself argued that a fable should educate only by introducing the reader to the world. The refusal to edify is in clear contradiction with the instructive nature of the fable, which has been considered an integral feature of the genre since the time of Aesop. In a hundred years
