Complete tales in verse - Jean de La Fontaine

First published three years before the Jean de la Fontaine'sFablesbegan to appear, the verse compositions inComplete Tales in Versewere the fruit of Fontaine's wicked delight in reading Boccacio'sDecameron, Ariosto'sOrlando Furioso, the works of Rabelais, and others. Marital misdemeanors, resourceful females, and addled males inspire some of the author's most richly inventive plotting, which recasts the source stories in his own witty words. While Rabelais, Voltaire, and Molire are more commonly cited for their comedic virtues, this collection demonstrates Fontaine's deserving place alongside them.