Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

In Short

Jean de La Fontaine’s collection of narrative verse offers witty, satirical explorations of human folly, marital strife, and rural mischief. In the central piece, a dispatched devil endures ten years of marriage in Florence, discovering that domestic friction surpasses infernal punishment. Shorter companion tales recount a young shepherdess lured by a disguised cowbell and an unrepentant glutton demanding fish on his deathbed. These lively adaptations have endured through centuries for their sharp psychological observation, brisk pacing, and cynical yet sparkling humor regarding human nature.

The Story

Satan convenes his subjects in hell and hears a universal complaint: every damned soul cries out against their husband or wife. Sensing an opportunity, the monarch resolves to send a wily demon named Belphegor to earth for ten years to test the realities of marriage. Taking the name of signor Roderick, Belphegor settles in Florence, opens a magnificent mansion, and scatters wealth through lavish entertainments. Finding that most married couples are miserable, he eventually courts Honesta, a proud, high-born noblewoman. After navigating a pettifogger who handles their marriage contracts, Roderick marries her, only to find his life instantly consumed by endless screams, domestic disputes, and financial ruin driven by his wife's relatives and a treacherous steward.

As his fortune vanishes and creditors close in, Roderick flees to a farmer named Matthew and strikes a bargain: the demon will possess human bodies, and Matthew can repeatedly collect rich rewards by driving him out three times. Belphegor moves from a young daughter in Naples to a maiden in Rome, before finally possessing the daughter of the king of Naples. Though reluctant after three successful expulsions, Matthew is forced under threat of the gallows to face the demon once more. Standing before the royal court, Matthew hears a distant drum. When Belphegor asks what the noise is, Matthew whispers that Honesta has arrived to reclaim him. Terrified of his earthly wife, the demon flees back to hell in a panic, confirming to Satan that marriage is the ultimate damnation.

In the companion piece "The Little Bell," a sprightly bachelor in Touraine tries to win the affections of a resistant young rustic named Isabella. To draw her into a secluded wood, he separates a heifer wearing a tinkling little bell from the rest of the herd. When Isabella is sent back by her mother to find the stray, the youth shakes the metal sound to guide her into the shadows, where he presses his suit despite her cries. Finally, "The Glutton" presents a man who feasts on an entire sturgeon except for the head. Overcharged by the meal, he faces imminent death and prepares his affairs, only to request with his final breaths that the leftover fish head be nicely dressed for him.

How It Unfolds

• Infernal review — Satan listens to his subjects lament their spouses and decides to test the institution of marriage by sending a demon to earth.
• The Florentine lavishness — Belphegor arrives in Florence as signor Roderick, spending lavishly to win the favor of the local fair and studying the rare existence of happy couples.
• The marriage knot — Roderick marries the proud Honesta after navigating legal contracts, quickly discovering that domestic life brings constant quarrels and financial drainage.
• Flight to the farmer — Ruined by bad investments, a dishonest steward, and creditors, Roderick escapes and hides with a farmer named Matthew, agreeing to possess bodies so Matthew can profit.
• The royal exorcism — Dragged before the king of Naples to cure his possessed daughter, Matthew faces the gallows until he mentions the approach of Honesta.
• Retreat to the abyss — Terrified by the mere mention of his wife, Belphegor flees back to hell, leaving behind a moral about the perils of wedlock.
• The rustic trick — A young bachelor in Touraine uses a heifer's tinkling bell to lure the resistant Isabella into a secluded forest.
• The final request — A dying glutton, having eaten an entire sturgeon, uses his final moments to ask for the leftover fish head to be prepared.

The People

• Belphegor — A prying demon who wants to experience human pleasure and pain on earth. He enters marriage willingly with gold and charm, but ends up destitute, harassed, and terrified of his own spouse.
• Honesta — A proud, high-born Florentine woman who marries Roderick. She uses constant noise, complaints, and relatives to torment her husband until she drives him back to the underworld.
• Matthew — A clever, opportunistic farmer who shelters the fugitive demon. He manages to turn Belphegor's possessions into a lucrative business before barely escaping the gallows.
• Isabella — A young rustic maid who ignores the bachelor's initial advances until she is cleverly drawn into the woods by her straying heifer's bell.
• The Glutton — An extreme overeater who sacrifices his health for a royal sturgeon and remains singularly devoted to food even on his deathbed.

In Its Own Voice

Avoid attorneys, if you comfort crave / Who knows a PETTIFOGGER, knows a KNAVE;

This warning highlights the cynicism directed toward legal contracts and the bureaucratic instigators of human strife.

The primum mobile of human kind, / Are gold and silver, through the world we find.

This observation captures the transactional nature of the society Belphegor navigates to win his bride.

A brawling woman's tongue, what saint can bear? / E'en Job, Honesta would have taught despair.

This closing sentiment underscores the ultimate victory of earthly domestic torment over the fires of hell.

What It's Really About

The collection investigates the perpetual war between romantic ideals and domestic reality. La Fontaine questions whether human institutions like marriage can survive human vanity, pride, and greed. Through satirical framing, the texts argue that legal bonds and social status often breed misery rather than harmony. The work also explores the mechanics of human deception, showing how easily people are manipulated by flattery, wealth, and clever staging. Beneath the light verse lies a skeptical inquiry into whether peace of mind is ever truly attainable when social artifice overrides genuine feeling.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate sharp satire, classical verse translations, and quick-witted storytelling will find much to enjoy here. Reading La Fontaine feels like listening to an urbane, cynical narrator recount village gossip over a glass of wine, blending brisk narrative momentum with sly philosophical asides. However, modern readers should be prepared for period attitudes regarding gender, marriage, and courtship that lean heavily into archaic tropes of nagging wives and helpless husbands. The poetic phrasing can also feel repetitive or structurally loose compared to modern prose. Yet, the sheer comedic timing of Belphegor's terror at his wife's name remains a memorable highlight that stays with you long after closing the book.

I can help you explore this further if you tell me:

• Do you want to examine more of La Fontaine's fables?
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