Jean de La Fontaine collected fables from a wide variety of sources, both Western and Eastern, and adapted them into French free verse. They were issued under the general title of Fables in several volumes from 1668 to 1694 and are considered classics of French literature. Humorous, nuanced and ironical, they were originally aimed at adults but then entered the educational system and were required learning for school children.
An Aubusson tapestry from the 18th century illustrating "The Lion in Love"
Facsimile of the manuscript of "The Sculptor and the Statue of Jupiter"
The practical lesson of "The frog that wanted to be as big as an ox" on a 19th-century trade card
Jean de La Fontaine was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, as well as in French regional languages.
Jean de La Fontaine, Fables choises, 1755–59 at Waddesdon Manor
Facsimile of one of the very few manuscripts by Jean de La Fontaine
A scene from La Fontaine's story Le Gascon Puni by Nicolas Lancret, Musée du Louvre
An illustration of " Les Médecins " (Fable V.12) by Gustave Doré, 1866
