Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

In Short

This collection showcases the narrative mastery of a seventeenth-century poet who excels at transforming bawdy, folkloric anecdotes into refined verse. Through tales like The Devil in Hell and Neighbor Peter’s Mare, the author satirizes religious hypocrisy, exposing how easily the pious can be manipulated by their own desires or the deceits of others. The work remains vital today not merely for its historical significance, but for its sharp, rhythmic observations on human nature and its enduring ability to marry high-art style with low-brow, ribald subject matter.

The Story

The collection operates as a series of comic deceptions, often centered on the intersection of religious authority and carnal appetite. In The Devil in Hell, a young and exceptionally naive woman named Alibech determines that the path to true holiness lies in becoming a hermit. She ventures into the woods to seek out a spiritual mentor, encountering an elderly man who wisely directs her to a younger, more "vigorous" anchorite named Rustick. Rustick, initially attempting to maintain his vows of celibacy, finds his resolve shattered by Alibech’s presence. He devises a theological ruse, convincing her that the only way to serve God and achieve sainthood is to "put the Devil in Hell." Under this guises of spiritual duty, he engages her in sexual acts, which she performs with the sincere belief that she is performing a holy service. Eventually, the cycle of "imprisonment" becomes so frequent that the girl grows weary of the exertion. She returns home, where her family—equally gullible or perhaps eager to secure a favorable marriage—accepts her explanation of her spiritual journey. She is quickly wed to a local man, Neherbal, who remains oblivious to the history of her "Hell," content to enjoy the blessings of the marriage bed.

In Neighbor Peter’s Mare, the narrative shifts to a local rector, John, who spends his time not on his sermons, but on lecherous observations of the local village wives. He sets his sights on Magdalene, the wife of a simple, hard-working peasant named Peter. Recognizing Peter’s profound gullibility, the rector concocts a scheme: he promises to transform Magdalene into a mare by day so that Peter might use her for labor, then restore her to human form by night. Peter, dazzled by the promise of increased productivity and the rector’s supposed magical prowess, agrees to the experiment. As the rector conducts a bizarre, tactile "ritual" of transformation, he demands absolute silence from the husband. Peter watches with a mixture of anxiety and greed as the priest examines his wife. When the rector begins a particularly intimate step of the "process"—the attachment of a tail—Peter’s patience snaps. He breaks his silence to protest the placement of the tail, thereby "ruining" the spell. The resulting confrontation sees the wife, Magdalene, joining the rector in berating her husband for his interference, leaving Peter the only one in the room who truly loses—forever denied the "magical" transformation he was too dim to realize was a farce from the start.

How It Unfolds

The pursuit of sanctity Alibech decides to abandon her home and family to become a saint, believing that the path to heaven is found through solitary, ascetic devotion. Her journey leads her to a hermit who redirects her toward a younger, more impressionable companion, setting the stage for her manipulation.

The theological trap Rustick, the hermit, struggles with the presence of the beautiful Alibech and quickly invents a religious justification for his desires. By framing sexual intercourse as the "imprisonment of the Devil," he successfully tricks the innocent girl into complying with his whims under the guise of piety.

The exhaustion of the saint The repeated "holy acts" eventually tire the young woman, and she grows disillusioned with the demands of her supposed mission. Recognizing that the hermit is as mortal as he is sinful, she returns to her village, where her story is accepted without question.

The rector’s leer Parson John finds his target in the virtuous but overlooked wife of a simple peasant. He observes her with the hunger of a scavenger, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike while keeping his true intentions hidden behind a mask of spiritual guidance.

The promise of magic John approaches Peter with a fantastical offer, playing upon the peasant’s desire to improve his meager economic situation. The rector crafts a complex, absurd ritual, ensuring that Peter remains a silent, complicit witness to his own cuckolding.

The broken spell As the rector reaches the climax of his charade, Peter’s lack of sophistication leads him to interrupt the proceedings. The priest immediately turns the failure back on the husband, leaving the wife to defend the priest’s "good intentions" while mocking her husband's interference.

The People

Alibech is the quintessence of misplaced innocence. Her desire to be a saint is sincere, yet her lack of worldly knowledge makes her a perfect vessel for the desires of others. She ends the tale unchanged in her essential simplicity, successfully integrating her "spiritual" experience into a conventional, prosperous life with a new husband.

Rustick is the young, conflicted anchorite who represents the failure of religious discipline. He is not a malicious villain so much as a man who chooses to rationalize his lust through theological sophistry. He succeeds in his immediate goal of seduction, though his ability to maintain his status as a holy man is purely a product of the girl's ignorance.

Parson John is a predatory figure of authority who uses his social standing to bypass the common-sense safeguards of his parishioners. He is defined by his cleverness and his lack of shame. He ends the story in control, having successfully humiliated the husband while maintaining his reputation.

Peter is the archetype of the "heavy lout." He wants only to improve his lot in life, yet he is so profoundly dim-witted that he cannot see the absurdity of the rector’s promises. His failure is total; he loses both the "magic" of the mare and the respect of his wife, ending the story as the target of everyone’s derision.

In Its Own Voice

From you a soft sensation seems to rise, And, to the heart, advances through the eyes;

These lines, describing the dangerous power of feminine beauty, serve as the opening justification for the hermit’s eventual moral collapse.

If dread of punishment, from pow'rs divine, Had led this friar in the proper line, He never had the charming girl retained,

The narrator reflects here on how the lack of genuine fear of divine judgment allows men like Rustick to pursue their own desires over their vows.

My neighbour to oblige is all I heed; And now I'll tell thee how thou must proceed;

The rector uses this hypocritical veneer of neighborly kindness to begin the elaborate, manipulative deception of the unsuspecting peasant, Peter.

What It's Really About

The book is a sustained meditation on the elasticity of human morality when confronted with desire and authority. It posits that people are rarely as virtuous as they claim to be, and that religious or social labels are often thin veils for base, carnal impulses. The work probes the question of whether innocence is truly a virtue or simply a liability that invites exploitation. By setting these tales among hermits, rectors, and peasants, the author highlights that the hunger for pleasure is a universal equalizer that ignores social status and religious calling alike. Ultimately, the book suggests that we are all, to some extent, willing participants in the deceptions that make our daily lives more palatable.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate sharp, classical satire and the rhythmic elegance of verse will find much to admire here. The experience of reading these tales is akin to listening to a sophisticated, dry-witted storyteller who refuses to take their own characters seriously. The work feels surprisingly modern in its cynical view of institutional authority and its recognition that human gullibility is an inexhaustible resource.

However, the modern reader should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes embedded in the text. The treatment of the female characters—often viewed through the lens of their utility or their "simple" nature—reflects the social hierarchies of the seventeenth century. Additionally, the bawdy humor, while never explicit in a modern sense, is persistent and built upon a foundation of domestic infidelity that some may find repetitive. The language, while translated with precision, retains a formal, eighteenth-century cadence that requires a moment of adjustment. Those who persevere will be rewarded with a collection that is as intellectually playful as it is morally challenging. What stays with the reader is not the individual plot points, but the overarching sense that the author is winking at them from across the centuries, reminding them that no matter the era, the gap between what people profess and what they do remains the most fertile ground for comedy.