French Literature Reviews - 2026

Y. Le Pestipon, I Bend and Do Not Break: An Essay on the Uninterrupted Reading of Book I of La Fontaine's Fables
Other Literary Studies

[Agrégation 2011/2012]

Yves Le Pestipon, "I Bend and Do Not Break": An Essay on the Uninterrupted Reading of Book I of La Fontaine's Fables

Mont Saint-Aignan, Presses Universitaires de Rouen et du Havre, "Hors collection" series, 2011.

174 p. – 13.30 €

EAN13: 9782877755467.

La Fontaine's Fables can be read just as their author published them: in their original order. This brings greater pleasure and deeper insight. It allows us to savor "in spirit" a delightful diversity that mirrors nature itself, and thus our own nature. We discover an audacious writer, even more subtle than we had imagined. We learn how to read, to reread, and to "dream of this adventure." And we hear ever more clearly the Reed's famous maxim: "I bend and do not break."

This brief essay offers a sequential reading of the fables in Book I. It is supplemented by insights into Books II, III, and VI. An introduction and a conclusion shed light on the foundations of the author's method and its implications for understanding his work as a whole. This invitation to further reading will appeal to those who regularly study La Fontaine, as well as to students preparing for this year's competitive teaching examinations focusing on the first collection.

Contents:

- Introduction

- Within the Flow of Book I

- The Cicada and the Ant, the Raven and the Fox

- The Frog That Wishes to Be as Big as the Ox

- The Two Mules

- The Wolf and the Dog

- The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep in Partnership with the Lion

- The Wallet

- The Swallow and the Little Birds

- The Town Rat and the Country Rat

- The Wolf and the Lamb

- The Man and His Image

- The Many-Headed Dragon and the Many-Tailed Dragon

- The Thieves and the Ass

- Simonides Preserved by the Gods

- Death and the Unhappy Man, Death and the Woodcutter

- The Man Between Two Ages and His Two Mistresses

- The Fox and the Stork

- The Child and the Schoolmaster

- The Cock and the Pearl

- The Hornets and the Honeybees

- The Oak and the Reed

- Conclusion

- Supplement to the Reading of Book I

- Book II

- Early Fables of Book III

- Book VI

- Select Bibliography

Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables occupy a central place in the French classical canon, blending the tradition of Aesopic moralizing with a mastery of verse. This study advocates for a continuous reading of the collection in its original order, suggesting that the sequence of fables reflects a deliberate arrangement rather than a random assortment. This approach emphasizes the interconnected flow of the work and the author's observation of human nature.

The methodology employed here focuses on reading the fables in their original order to examine the diversity of the compositions. By examining the progression of the first book alongside selected examples from later collections, the text discusses the structural foundations of the Fables. Readers interested in the study of La Fontaine or the Agrégation examinations may find this study relevant.