라 모트(La Motte)의 『새로운 우화』, 라 퐁텐(La Fontaine)에 대한 도전

Abstract

La Motte, who was the vanguard of the moderns in ‘the second Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns’, presented a collection of fables under the title of “New Fables” in 1719. It has a challenging nature to La Fontaine, the largest peak of fable. Here, the meaning of “new” refers to a story created by oneself, not a story obtained from another person’s work. La Motte criticizes that most of La Fontaine’s fables are borrowed from others, and suggests that his work has originality. La Motte also laid the theoretical foundation for the genre of fable. He expresses his theories about various important elements of fable, such as the relationship between moral and fun, the usefulness of allegories, and the variety of characters. He tries to overcome La Fontaine by using theory and practice as weapons. But La Motte’s fable does not go beyond La Fontaine’s barrier. La Motte does not attract the reader’s attention. His fables are schematic and dull and do not appeal to the reader. His fables, though written in verse, have no poetic inspiration. On the other hand, La Fontaine notes that fables are fictional stories like other literary genres and focuses on attracting readers’ interest rather than rules or theories. La Motte’s attempt failed, but it is not meaningless. He is recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of fables in the 18th century. The 18th century is often called the golden age of fables, and many writers are interested in fables. The most notable trend during this period is the interest in new fable. Many writers cling to new fables to get away from La Fontaine, and La Motte plays a pioneer role for these writers. Also, the 18th century is the era of the French Revolution, and fables express various aspects of this era with much more diverse themes than before. La Motte’s new fables nourish this very change.