Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 10

This lively collection brings together a series of comic tales and playful poems, all driven by flirtation, vanity, misunderstandings, and the absurdities of human behavior. Two inseparable friends find their companionship tested by desire, while a bewildered country justice settles a legal dispute with a method that exposes the hazards of judging by chance. Elsewhere, a seemingly serious illness, an overly generous husband, and a convent’s model of virtue each become occasions for sly and unexpected humor.

The pieces are brief, briskly told, and often shaped by clever rhymes and sharp reversals. Alongside the stories are graceful imitations of Anacreon, celebrating beauty, love, and the difficulty of capturing either in words. Listeners will find an entertaining blend of worldly satire, romantic mischief, and irreverent observations about custom, authority, and polite society.