The complete fables of La Fontaine : a new translation in verse / translated from the French by Craig Hill ; illustrations by Edward Sorel.
"In this contemporary translation, Craig Hill has captured the liveliness, satiric wit, and poetic beauty that made Jean de La Fontaine famous during his lifetime and his Fables celebrated as a masterwork of world literature ever since." "Despite La Fontaine's deceptively modest claim that all he intended was to put the moral tales of Aesop and other ancient fabulists into poetry for the pleasure of Louis XIV's young son, his real accomplishment, as later generations have understood, was holding a mirror up to the society of his day and in the process fashioning a work that has become a classic." "Borrowing from a variety of sources, La Fontaine gave the hitherto mute animals in ancient fables the power of speech. Putting his characters on stage and endowing them with irresistibly witty dialogue, he portrayed with great humor the flaws and pretensions that still dog us. Backstabbing politicians, brainless nincompoops, charlatans, clueless heads of state, egomaniacs, empty-headed celebrities, foolish investors, gluttons, liars, penny pinchers, self-important blowhards, and wastrels - the targets of the poet's pen were legion and remain so today." "Craig Hill has given us a rare treat: both the irreverent spirit and the vivid poetry that have made La Fontaine's fables beloved through the ages, continuing to amuse and inspire centuries after they first appeared in print. Making this volume even more of a delight are a dozen scintillating illustrations by Edward Sorel."--Jacket.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781559708968
- ISBN: 1559708964
- ISBN: 9781611453928
- Physical Description: xl, 350 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Arcade Pub. : ©2008.
Content descriptions
General Note: | Includes index. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Fables, French. Children's stories, French > Translations into English. |
Genre: | Fables. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirtland Community College Library | PQ 1811 .E3 H55 2008 | 30775305516131 | General Collection | Available | - |
Electronic resources
The Complete Fables of la Fontaine : A New Translation in Verse
Click an element below to view details:
Author Notes
The Complete Fables of la Fontaine : A New Translation in Verse
Although he had a degree to practice law, La Fontaine does not seem to have done so but, rather, spent his life in Paris dependent on aristocratic patrons. His principal contribution to literature was his 12 books of Fables, to which he devoted 30 years of his life. They were published from 1668 to 1694 and are universally appreciated in France by children and adults alike. In drawing on a tradition of the fable going back to Aesop, La Fontaine created a portrait of human life and French society through the representations of animals. His work is marked by great insight into human moral character, while it preaches the value of the middle road. (Bowker Author Biography)