Jean de La Fontaine anniversary of his birth

Jean de La Fontaine is born on July 8, 1621, in the French city of Château Thière in Champagne. He followed theology and law in Paris, but he was more interested in literature. His literary work began late, at the age of 37. His first works are "Tales and novels in poetry," and his first fables are collected in the collection "Basques, Selected and Delivered in Verses by Mr. La Fontaine ". The case is kept with his wife, in which de La Fontaine very openly tells her about her many love storys with ladies in the city. He does not pay attention to his children. He is so alienated that he once meets his son with his own son, but he does not know him. In Paris La Fontaine achieved a brilliant success. Nicholas Fouque, courtier financier of Louis XIV, arranges him a stable rent, and he pays a rich fee for at least one poem a month. The whole aristocracy patronized him, and he managed to remain independent and exquisitely laughing, even in his most stubborn works, with which he threatened his benefactors.

The first poems that La Fontaine turned from a salon poet into a first-rate poet were written in 1661. The reason for them becomes the unfortunate fate that affects Nicolas Fouquet. "Elegy to the Nymphs of the Voe," in which he fervently advocated Louis XIV about the fallen fellow, fired his career toward the tops. At the beginning, Jean de La Fontaine lives in the duchess of Boulogne, and then - over 20 years - stays at Madame de Sullier's hotel. When she rests, La Fontaine moved to live with her friend d'Ervard. Between 1659 and 1665, La Fontaine is part of the circle of "the five friends" - Mollier, Bouallo, Rasin and Chapel. With all of them, he keeps his friendship together, no matter how much time they get together. Among his friends are also Conde, Larosfouco, Madame de Sevney. But he is not admitted to the French court - Louis XIV does not like the frivolous, unrecognizable no responsibility poet. This also delays the adoption of de La Fontaine as a member of the academy. It did not happen until 1684. Under the influence of Madame de Savoie Lafonte, in the last years of her life, she became a believer, but still remained a light-minded and distraught poet whose only poetry was serious.

In fact, Jean de La Fontaine's great merit for the history of literature is the new genre that he, borrowing from the ancient authors, revives. The new thing he introduces is the external figure in the fables. The creation of the new genre of semi-literary, semi-philosophical fables is the result of the very nature of La Fontaine , who is looking for a new free form to express his creative nature. His searches are not crowned with success from the first time. His first work in the genre is "Joconde, 1666" - a frivolous and witty imitation of Ariosto's style. There are a number of "fairy tales", but they are all over. In 1668, the first six books appeared under the modest title "The Basics of Aesop, Rewritten in Verses by La Fontaine ". Their second release is 10 years later, and the books are now 11. Jean de La Fontaine , however, is by no means a moralist. His teachings are not so much of a high morality, but rather a sober look at life, the ability to take advantage of one's circumstances. In his fables the hunters and the hunters always triumph over the simple and naive good-natured - there is no sentiment in this respect, and the characters are the ones who can guide their destiny. Jean de Lafonte died on 13 April 1695 in Paris.

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