Fables de M. De Florian
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Authors
Florian
Issue Date
1792
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Type
Book, Whole
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Abstract
How about that?! I am holding in my hand a first edition of Florian's fables. Before looking into this little (3½ x 5¼) volume, I learned from French Wikipedia that Florian published 112 fables while still alive, but that twelve were published posthumously. I thought that there might have been a number of editions of fables in his lifetime, but there was just one, in 1792, two years before he died. And that first edition is this very one that I am holding! Here are Florian's five books of fables, with 21, 19, 20, 20, and 20 fables in them, respectively. There are five illustrations after a frontispiece portrait of Florian. In an illustration under this oval portrait, is that a swan pulling a hare over the surface of water? The first fable of each book is illustrated here: La Fable et la Vérité; La Mere, l'Enfant et les Sarigues; Les Singes et le Léopard; Le Savant et le Fermier; and Le Berger et le Rossignol. The joy of finding this book has led me to dig deeper into these fables. In I 1, Truth emerges from a well as an old hag, naked, and people flee from her. Fable gives Truth her cloak and recommends that they travel together: the wise will accept truth for her sake, and fools will accept truth because of the attractive cloak. In III 1, monkeys are playing a game like Blind Man's Buff, only what is hit here is an extended arm. Leopard comes by. The lower class monkeys are impressed that the noble leopard would want to play with them. One swipe from the leopard and the blindfolded person, who knows well who hit him, leaves silently. One by one, all the others leave too. It is better not to have the noble play with the commoners, since hid beneath their softest paws are very sharp claws. In V 1, the shepherd enjoys the nightingale's song and asks her to sing again. She says that she is giving it all up, because the frogs are drowning out her song. No, answers the shepherd. When I listen to you, I'm not even conscious of them. IV 1 has this lovely saying under its illustration: je fais souvent du bien pour avoir du plaisir. The farmer has been answering the question where he got his wisdom. He got it from observing nature and taking his part in it. I bet one can hear a bit of Kant's Ode to Duty in this farmer's Enlightenment answer.
Description
Citation
Publisher
De l'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'aîné
L'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'Ainé
L'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'Ainé
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PubMed ID
DOI
Identifier
10138 (Access ID)