Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

In Short

This collection presents a series of irreverent, verse-based narratives that capture the wit and cynicism of seventeenth-century French society. Drawing on ancient motifs and domestic intrigue, the stories focus on the illicit escapades of nuns, kings, and academics. While the subject matter is frequently scandalous—revolving around secret affairs and the inevitable discovery of cuckolded husbands—the work has endured for centuries. It remains a fixture of literature not for its moral instruction, but for its rhythmic elegance, sharp irony, and the author’s keen, unblinking observation of human fallibility.

The Story

The collection moves through a landscape where virtue is often a thin veil for hidden appetites. In the first tale, a group of nuns find their convent tranquility shattered when they discover a novice, Isabella, entertaining a suitor. The abbess, herself secretly involved with a rector, leads the charge against the girl with hypocritical zeal. However, when the abbess attempts to confront Isabella while wearing the rector’s breeches—mistaken in the dark for her own liturgical head-covering—the power dynamic shifts. Isabella, quick-witted and observant, points out the "Psalter" on the abbess’s head, effectively silencing the accusation. The sisters, recognizing the mutual advantage of discretion, realize that if they cannot stop the illicit behavior, they might as well adopt a policy of communal tolerance.

The narrative arc then shifts to the tragic and comedic folly of King Candaules. Driven by a misplaced vanity, the king insists that his vassal, Gyges, witness the beauty of the queen while she is undressed. Despite his initial reluctance, Gyges is captivated, and the king’s casual boasting about his wife’s charms leads directly to his own ruin. The queen, humiliated and enraged by her husband’s betrayal of her privacy, plots her revenge. She recruits the enamored Gyges, who eventually dispatches the king to secure both the throne and the queen’s hand.

The final movement takes place in modern Rome, where a pompous doctor of laws prides himself on his intellectual superiority and his ability to navigate the city's complex social codes. He boasts to a French student that he can teach him the art of seduction, mocking the husbands who fail to guard their wives. When the student describes a delightful affair with an unnamed woman, the doctor begins to suspect, through the specific descriptions of her charms, that the "angel" is his own wife. Blinded by pride and a desire to catch her in the act, he orchestrates a scheme to take the student’s place. The doctor’s elderly accomplice, however, leads him not to a secret chamber of love, but directly into his own lecture hall, where he is exposed to the ridicule of his pupils. The scandal leads to the total dissolution of his marriage and his social standing, while his wife moves on to a life of quiet independence.

How It Unfolds

The convent crisis The story opens with a breach of discipline, as a novice’s secret visitor is discovered by a vigilant sisterhood. An investigation is launched, but it is immediately complicated by the hypocrisy of the presiding abbess.

The shift of power The tension breaks when the accused novice notices the abbess is wearing the rector’s discarded breeches as a makeshift veil. This humiliating slip renders the abbess unable to proceed with the trial, forcing a retreat into silence.

The king’s pride The narrative transitions to a royal court, where a monarch’s hubris sets a trap for his own downfall. By forcing a vassal to view his queen, he inadvertently invites a rival to claim his place.

The queen’s revenge Betrayed and insulted, the queen asserts her agency, turning the vassal’s affection to her own political advantage. The king is removed, illustrating that those who treat human relationships as spectacle often lose the stage entirely.

The scholar’s instruction The final arc introduces a doctor of laws who believes himself immune to the social failings of others. He offers lessons in infidelity, confident that his own household remains an untouchable fortress of virtue.

The final trap The doctor attempts to outmaneuver the student, only to fall into a trap of his own design. By stripping away his dignity in the dark, he is publicly unmasked in the very place where he usually exerts control.

The People

Isabella is a novice who begins as a vulnerable figure of scandal but emerges as the most perceptive person in the convent. By noticing the abbess’s mistake, she turns the tables on her accusers, securing her own freedom through the sheer force of observation.

The Abbess represents the intersection of authority and hypocrisy. She desires the moral high ground but is undone by her own illicit secret. Her inability to maintain her composure when faced with her own foolishness highlights the fragility of her moral stature.

King Candaules is the embodiment of self-imprudence. His desire to show off his wife as an object of art leads to the loss of both his life and his throne. He views his marriage as a trophy rather than a partnership.

The Queen acts with calculated, cold resolve. Once the king violates the sanctity of their private life, she recognizes the change in power and acts to secure her own future. She is the most decisive character in the book.

The Doctor of Laws is the quintessential fool of the collection. He believes his intellect protects him from the "common" failures of the men around him, but his vanity blinds him to the reality of his own wife’s life. He ends the story stripped of his titles and his reputation.

In Its Own Voice

The sister nuns so vigilant had been, / One night when darkness overspread the scene; / And all was proper mysteries to hide, / Some words escaped her cell that doubts supplied.

The nuns discover that Isabella is not keeping to her prayers, setting the central conflict of the convent tales into motion.

In life oft ills from self-imprudence spring; / As proof, Candaules' story we will bring; / In folly's scenes the king was truly great.

The narrator introduces the cautionary tale of the king who brings about his own destruction through his own vanity.

The doctor of laws, / Occasioned jars and matrimonial strife; / That he was mad, and she, a prudent wife.

The final outcome of the doctor’s attempt to outsmart his student reveals the ironic reversal of his status as a master of wisdom.

What It's Really About

The work investigates the chasm between public appearance and private reality. It argues that human beings are fundamentally driven by desires that social institutions—be they convents, marriages, or academic halls—rarely succeed in suppressing. The recurring theme is the failure of the "guardians" of morality, who are consistently exposed as being just as flawed as those they police. The collection asks whether it is better to maintain a thin, often hypocritical, facade of order, or to accept that human nature is inherently prone to "pranks" and "follies." Ultimately, it suggests that intelligence and status offer no protection against the chaotic, leveling power of human desire, which treats king and clerk alike.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the biting social commentary of Boccaccio or the witty, rhythmic agility of Alexander Pope will find this work deeply satisfying. The experience of reading it is one of constant, rhythmic pleasure; the language is light, often playful, and consistently sharp, turning even the most scandalous incidents into sophisticated comedy.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period attitudes. The humor is firmly rooted in a world that views adultery and the objectification of women as fair game for satire. There is no moralizing here; instead, the stories assume a world where everyone is playing a game of wits, and the "winner" is simply the one who is caught last. The length of some passages and the archaic cadence of the verse may require a moment to adjust to, but the clarity of the author’s voice ensures that the stories never feel sluggish. If you have an appreciation for the darker, more cynical side of wit, and you value a writer who refuses to judge his characters even while he ruthlessly exposes their flaws, this collection will stay with you long after the final page is turned. It is a masterclass in the art of the narrative wink.