Can we make an ecopoetic reading of La Fontaine’s Fables?

Abstract

In this article, we would like to demonstrate that it is possible to renew the teaching of the Fables through an ecopoetic study, which would enable us to approach our contemporary concerns about ecology in a different way, through the prism of an ancient language and thought. Based on a selection of around forty fables, we will propose a several lines of reflection in order to highlight the ecological – or, more precisely, paleo-ecological – awareness at work in La Fontaine’s corpus. La Fontaine speaks of animal suffering, anthropization and the disruption of ecosystems. Although the words are not the same, the terms La Fontaine uses in his poetry ("demeure", "naturel", etc.) serve to speak of the relationship between humans and living things.