Illustration by Jacques Lagniet (1620–1672), from an XVII th century edition of fables by Jean...

Illustration by Jacques Lagniet (1620–1672), from an XVII th century edition of fables by Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe. Jean de La Fontaine collected fables from a wide variety of sources, both Western and Eastern, and adapted them into French free verse. They were issued under the general title of Fables in several volumes from 1668 to 1694 and are considered classics of French literature.