Classic Fables - (Illustrated and Textual Classics)

Author: La Fontaine
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: What is a fable? The wolf determined to eat the little sheep, the fox trying to trick the crow into giving up its cheese, and its brother, the one who says grapes are sour when he can't reach them—who hasn't heard their stories? Fables are these small stories full of wisdom. If Aesop was the pioneer of the fable genre, La Fontaine brought it to a new realm. Most of La Fontaine's fables draw their material from ancient Greek, Roman, and Indian fables, as well as folk tales from the Middle Ages and the 17th century. However, he revitalized them by imbuing them with entirely new meanings. With sharp and biting wit, La Fontaine uses animals to satirize humans and humans to critique society. Based on decades of profound observation of nature and social reality, he constructed a world composed of both humans and animals, directing a "Comedy of a Hundred Acts" set against the backdrop of the universe, with all living creatures as the main characters. It can almost be said to be the prototype and precursor to Balzac's La Comédie Humaine. The famous French painter Grandville illustrated many of La Fontaine's fables. Grandville's style is unconventional, with a critical and thought-provoking mind, which complements La Fontaine's writing style perfectly. These illustrations are delicate in execution, interpret the essence of the fables in a different way through appropriate exaggeration, and their lively, humorous comic style make the little stories even more engaging and vivid. This allows readers to see the diversity of life in a relaxed manner and grasp the truths of the world in a lively way.