Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 17

"Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 17" by Jean de La Fontaine is a collection of witty and humorous stories that give readers a peek into human flaws and social standards, likely from 17th-century France. The collection presents three stories: “The Progress of Wit,” “The Sick Abbess,” and “The Truckers.” In “The Progress of Wit,” Alice, a young girl, seeks wit from a friar, creating a funny situation that shows what learning and innocence are. “The Sick Abbess” tells of an abbess whose ailment amusingly connects to avoiding men, resulting in a shocking yet educational conclusion and "The Truckers", villagers hilariously swap wives, only to face strange consequences and moral questions about relationships and wants. These tales, filled with satire and lightheartedness, show La Fontaine's talent for revealing the strange aspects of humanity and the world around him.