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Universal human flaws make domestic peace worth keeping

Reinventing classic tales from Boccaccio and Ariosto allows La Fontaine to reflect on the nature of constancy. When Astolphus and Joconde travel the world to test female fidelity, they discover that straying is a widespread human habit rather than an isolated betrayal. Realizing that perfection exists nowhere, the two travelers return home to cherish their wives. Accepting mutual imperfection proves far wiser than chasing unattainable ideals.

THE TALES AND NOVELS OF J. DE LA FONTAINE → JOCONDE

Quick thinking outsmarts jealousy and unmasks deceit

Strict precautions rarely stop an ambitious lover from achieving his goal. A falconer easily wooes his master's wife after disarming suspicion by confessing his passion beforehand. Meanwhile, King Agiluf identifies a midnight intruder in the dark royal bedroom by feeling the man's racing pulse and cutting his hair to mark him. The clever muleteer clips the hair of every servant in the stable overnight, neutralizing the king's plot through collective disguise.

THE CUDGELLED AND CONTENTED CUCKOLD → THE MULETEER

Controlled repetition turns dangerous truth into harmless fiction

Curious neighbours often watch private gardens to expose household scandals. When a husband catches a prying neighbor spying on his flirtation with a servant girl, he does not panic or offer excuses. Instead, he wakes his wife and openly repeats the exact same playful scene with her in the garden walk. The neighbor's accurate report to the wife sounds like absurd gossip, completely vindicating the master.

THE SERVANT GIRL JUSTIFIED → THE OLD MAN'S CALENDAR

Pious excuses cannot satisfy genuine human affection

Mismatched marriages built solely on age and wealth generate predictable discontent. The aging judge Quinzica invents an endless calendar of holy fasts, saintly feast days, and solemn abstinences to hide his inability to entertain his young bride Bartholomea. When the pirate Pagamin captures her at sea, Bartholomea gladly remains with him. She discards her husband's legalistic calendar for a life where affection is offered continuously.

THE AVARICIOUS WIFE AND TRICKING GALLANT → THE PRINCESS…

Testing virtue through paranoia destroys peace of mind

Unnecessary tests of loyalty reflect the tester's insecurity rather than the partner's character. Possessing a magical cup that spills wine whenever an unfaithful spouse drinks from it creates an irresistible trap for suspicion. Demanding mathematical proof of devotion transforms quiet affection into constant anxiety. True tranquility requires ignoring suspicious temptations and accepting trust at face value.

THE MAGICK CUP

Unconditional sacrifice conquers pride where luxury fails

Ruining oneself with lavish gifts rarely wins a cold heart. Frederick spends his entire fortune courting the noble widow Clytia until nothing remains except his prized hunting falcon. When Clytia visits his impoverished home to request the bird for her ailing son, Frederick unknowingly serves the falcon for dinner to feed his guest. Touched by his selfless act, Clytia grants him her hand in marriage.

THE FALCON

Excessive caution invites the precise betrayals it fears

Leaving home on official duty fills the elderly judge Anselm with terrifying thoughts about his young wife Argia. Despite locked doors and strict warnings, Argia encounters a fairy disguised as a magical spaniel that scatters gold coins with every trick. The temptation of endless wealth opens doors that jealousy had barred shut. Strict confinement only makes irresistible offers sweeter.

THE LITTLE DOG

Practical survival quickly replaces the deepest grief

Profound mourning frequently yields to immediate physical needs and fresh affection. A famous widow in Ephesus vows to starve herself to death inside her husband's tomb out of devotion. A nearby soldier guarding a gallows enters the vault to share his dinner, quickly winning over both the maid and the mistress. When a corpse is stolen from the gallows during his distraction, the widow offers her husband's body to save her new lover.

THE EEL PIE → THE EPHESIAN MATRON

Unreasonable demands make domestic life harder than punishment

Human domestic arguments exceed the terrors of the underworld. Sent to Earth to experience marriage, the demon Belphegor finds marital squabbles so relentless that he flees back to hell for peace and quiet. Elsewhere, a young suitor uses a simple copper bell removed from a stray heifer to entice a naive shepherdess into the forest, demonstrating how trivial tricks easily overcome inexperienced caution.

BELPHEGOR → THE LITTLE BELL

Base appetites easily overwhelm solemn moral vows

Sensual hunger frequently overrides reason at the most critical moments. A famous glutton lying on his deathbed asks doctors for the remaining half of a royal sturgeon before considering his spiritual affairs. Similarly, young lovers repeatedly prioritize immediate gratification over long-term vows and legal warnings. Human nature consistently favours the satisfaction of bodily desire over abstract virtue.

THE GLUTTON → RICHARD MINUTOLO

Jealousy creates the exact trap that ensnares it

Richard Minutolo manipulates Catella's intense jealousy by claiming her husband plans to meet another woman at a darkened bathhouse. Eager to catch her spouse in the act, Catella secretly takes the woman's place in the pitch-black room. Richard receives her affection in total silence, fulfilling his desire through her own trap. Her rage collapses into embarrassment once the room lights reveal her mistake.

THE MONKS OF CATALONIA → ST. JULIAN'S PRAYER

Gullibility turns false promises into easy prey

Fraudulent holy men exploit innocent belief for personal gain. A hypocritical hermit uses hidden horns and eerie midnight voices to convince a gullible widow and her daughter that yielding to his desires will produce a future pope. The daughter willingly complies with his instructions, expecting noble cardinals and popes. Instead of ecclesiastical glory, the scheme ends with the birth of an ordinary daughter.

THE COUNTRYMAN WHO SOUGHT HIS CALF → THE HERMIT

Forced repression creates fertile ground for secret schemes

Imposing artificial isolation on youthful energy invites widespread subversion. Masetto feigns complete deaf-mute stupidity to land a job as a convent gardener, knowing the nuns will consider him harmless. Believing their secrets are safe with an incapable worker, the entire convent seeks his companionship. Enforced piety within stone walls only sharpens the appetite for forbidden leisure.

THE CONVENT GARDENER OF LAMPORECHIO → THE RHEMESE

Boastful intriguers are easily undone by their own arrogance

Two boastful neighbours scheme to win the affection of a painter's clever wife, agreeing to share their success. The painter's wife invites both suitors to her house, but abruptly hides them inside a dark closet when an alleged emergency arises. She then invites their own wives to sit down for a lavish dinner with her husband. The trapped suitors watch through a keyhole as their own spouses enjoy the evening.

THE AMOROUS COURTESAN → NICAISE

Hesitation wastes opportunities that quick action secures

Simple honesty without quick wit leaves lovers empty-handed. A young apprentice named Nicaise secures a bride's promise for an intimate meeting right before her wedding day. When the bride arrives in the garden dressed in jewels, Nicaise hesitates, distracted by modest worries and clumsy conversation. Frustrated by his slowness, the bride cancels the rendezvous, proving that love favors decisive action over foolish passivity.

THE PROGRESS OF WIT → THE TRUCKERS

Stolen pleasures possess a flavor that routine lacks

Routine arrangements dull affection, while secret encounters revive passion. Two neighboring peasants decide to swap wives through a legal contract, only to grow tired of the exchange after a single month. Later, when Stephen unexpectedly meets his original wife sleeping near a shaded woodland brook, the secret encounter fills him with renewed enthusiasm. Stolen moments retain a charm that official marriage contracts cannot recreate.

THE CASE OF CONSCIENCE → FERONDE

Public moral outrage frequently masks personal hypocrisy

Strict moral authority often crumbles upon close inspection. When an abbess is awakened in the middle of the night to punish a nun caught hosting a lover, she rushes into the hallway in darkness to denounce the scandal. In her haste, she grabs her secret lover's trousers from her bed and wears them on her head thinking they are her veil. The exposed nun gently points out the error, silencing the abbess.

THE PSALTER → THE DEVIL IN HELL

Instant resourcefulness turns discovery into a profitable sale

Unexpected surprises require immediate inventive thinking. A wife entertaining her lover is startled when her husband returns home announcing he has sold their large laundry tub for three crowns. Without missing a beat, she claims she has already sold the tub for four crowns to a customer who is currently inside inspecting it for leaks. The lover steps out unharmed, and the husband happily cleans the tub for him.

NEIGHBOUR PETER'S MARE → THE BUCKING-TUB

Simple natural quirks baffle even complex evil schemes

A lover makes a binding bargain with a demon to secure his lady's affection, agreeing to give up his soul unless he can provide impossible tasks. When the demon effortlessly builds palaces and commands storms, the clever lady hands her lover a single naturally curly hair from her head. She instructs him to order the demon to make it perfectly straight. Hell's heaviest hammers fail to flatten the natural curl.

THE IMPOSSIBLE THING → THE EAR-MAKER AND THE MOULD-MENDER

Retaliation succeeds best when carried out with calm symmetry

A craftsman learns that his neighbour Andrew claimed to fix a missing ear on his child while visiting his wife. Instead of starting an open fight, the craftsman invites Andrew's wife over under the pretext of preventing her husband's arrest. He politely explains that he must correct a flaw in her own family's mould, settling the score quietly and symmetrically without losing his temper.

THE RIVER SCAMANDER → THE INDISCREET CONFESSIONS

Needless confessions turn minor secrets into public comedy

Damon tries to prove his honesty to his wife Aminta by confessing he fathered a child before marriage. Aminta casually replies that she also had a son before meeting him. Overwhelmed by sudden jealousy, Damon strapping a horse pack-saddle onto his own back and running through the village square shouting that he is saddled. His absurd public spectacle turns a minor secret into local comedy.

THE CONTRACT → THE PITCHER

Grand promises rarely match the realities of performance

Bold claims made during courtship crumble under actual strain. A lover boasts to Perrette that he can deliver ten acts of devotion, spreading out his ten fingers as proof. After fulfilling five, his strength completely fails him, leaving Perrette feeling cheated. His calm response that promising and performing are completely different arts captures the spirit of human vanity.

TO PROMISE IS ONE THING TO KEEP IT, ANOTHER → EPITAPH OF LA…

Book

Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

A witty exploration of human folly, marital tricks, and irrepressible desire through lighthearted verse retellings of classical tales.

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