Original edition of the Comedies of La Fontaine
« free-spirited, cheerful, witty, truly worthy of that brilliant bohemian of the grand century ».
The Hague, 1702.
From the library of Viollet-Le-Duc.
La Fontaine, Jean de. Plays by Monsieur de La Fontaine.
In The Hague, at Adrian Moetjens, Book Merchant, 1702.
In-12 of (5) ff., 296 pp., (2) ff. for the Catalogue of the books of Moetjens. An Epitaph of La Fontaine in the preliminary leaves. Few foxing marks without seriousness, small restoration on the title of the last piece.
The first piece of this collection bears La Fontaine’s name; however, it is not by him: Penelope; it is by Abbé Genest. Following are: Le Florentin in second edition; Ragotin or the Comic Novel (original edition); I take you without offense green, in second edition. And finally the Duke of Monmoulb, a piece by Waernewyck, which was never performed. Each piece has a separate title, but the pagination is continuous throughout the volume.
Full light calf, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, ribbed spine, double gilt fillet on the edges, inner roulette, gilt edges. Binding signed by Koehler circa 1835.
144 x 81 mm.
Very rare collected original edition of the “La Fontaine Comédien”.
“The good La Fontaine is certainly little known as a dramatic poet; the indescribable charm of his Tales and especially of his Fables quickly made forget the grace of his epistles, his playful and light poetry, his little novels mingled with verse, and especially his comedies, free-spirited, cheerful, witty, truly worthy of that brilliant bohemian of the grand century.
La Fontaine was born in Château-Thierry where his father was master of waters and forests; he had the bad idea to hand him the position and to marry him off; but La Fontaine soon forgot both wife and position, left them both and came to Paris where, in the company of merry fellows like him, he frequented the taverns, alleyways, and disreputable places, leading an easy and light existence, thanks to which he quickly consumed his principal with his income, as he said in his witty epitaph.
It is from this period that this light and playful part of his work dates, overshadowed by the six books of his immortal Fables: it is at this time that he wrote the lovely novel of The Loves of Psyche and Cupid, that he translated into verse The Eunuch by Terence, that he scattered to all winds, epistles, ballads, light poems, that he was already sketching his Tales most licentious and that, to please some actors met in nocturnal taverns where he lingered, he composed The Florentine, and Ragotin, the subject of this original edition.”
Ragotin was written in collaboration with Champmeslé, a jolly fellow, actor, poet, drinker, duelist, and husband of that actress to whom he gave his name and who created the masterpieces of Racine.
Ragotin is inspired by Comic Novel by Scarron.
“There is no more varied work in the 17th century: two volumes of Fables, one of Tales, three of various works, among which poems, a novel in mixed prose with verse, comedies, operas, elegies, odes, epistles, not to mention all sorts of minor pieces. Truly, he has attempted practically everything. And knowing what he was doing. Nothing could be more false than to represent him as an unconscious genius. He thought a lot about his art, seeking both perfection and success, concerned with securing a place ‘in the Temple of Memory’ and at the same time pleasing his contemporaries. Witness his prefaces, always interesting, and so many reflections slipped in passing, this famous and beautiful epistle to Huet (1687) and Ragotin, Le Florentin…. ”
Pleasant copy of this rare original edition coming from the library of Viollet-Le-Duc.
