LA FILLE
by Jean de La Fontaine · from Fables de La Fontaine
Adapted Version
Once there was a girl named Lily. She was very pretty. But Lily was also very, very picky. Lily wanted a husband. She wanted a perfect husband. He must be handsome. He must be rich. He must be very smart. He must be very kind. He must not be cold. He must not be jealous. He must be strong. He must be funny. Lily wanted everything. She had many ideas.
Many men came to Lily. They wanted to marry her. Lily looked at them. She said, "No!" One man was not handsome. She did not like his nose. His hair was too short. Another man was not rich. He had no big house. He had no fine clothes. She thought, 'Not good enough.' Lily said, 'No!' She laughed at them. She was very picky.
More men came to Lily. They were not rich or handsome. They were not very smart. Lily still said, 'No.' She was too good. She was happy alone. She did not need a husband. Lily liked her company. She read many books. She walked in her garden. She did not feel sad. She was very proud.
Days passed. Weeks passed. Years passed. Lily got older. Her hair was not so shiny now. Her face was not so smooth. Her smile was not so bright. Her clothes were old. No more men came to visit her. They did not want to marry Lily. Lily felt a little sad. She felt lonely sometimes. Time went by fast.
Lily looked in her mirror. She saw an older face. Her eyes looked sad. She felt lonely now. She had no one to talk to. She had no one to share with. She was too picky. She wanted too much. Lily wanted a friend. She wanted to talk. She wanted a kind person.
One day, a kind man came. He was not handsome. He was not rich. He was not very young. But he was very nice. He had a warm smile. He made Lily laugh. Lily liked him. Lily said, "Yes!" She married him. She was very happy. He was a good friend. They talked every day. Lily learned a lesson. It is good to be kind. It is good to find a friend. You do not need a perfect person.
Original Story
LA FILLE.
Certaine fille, un peu trop fière,
Prétendoit trouver un mari
Jeune, bien fait et beau, d’agréable manière,
Point froid et point jaloux: notez ces deux points-ci.
Cette fille vouloit aussi
Qu’il eût du bien, de la naissance,
De l’esprit, enfin tout. Mais qui peut tout avoir!
Le destin se montra soigneux de la pourvoir:
Il vint des partis d’importance.
La belle les trouva trop chétifs de moitié:
Quoi! moi! quoi! ces gens-là! l’on radote, je pense.
A moi les proposer! hélas! ils font pitié:
Voyez un peu la belle espèce!
L’un n’avoit en l’esprit nulle délicatesse;
L’autre avoit le nez fait de cette façon-là:
C’étoit ceci, c’étoit cela;
C’étoit tout, car les précieuses
Font dessus tout les dédaigneuses.
Après les bons partis, les médiocres gens
Vinrent se mettre sur les rangs.
Elle de se moquer. Ah! vraiment je suis bonne
De leur ouvrir la porte! Ils pensent que je suis
Fort en peine de ma personne:
Grâce à Dieu, je passe les nuits
Sans chagrin, quoique en solitude.
La belle se sut gré de tous ces sentiments.
L’âge la fit déchoir: adieu tous les amants.
Un an se passe, et deux, avec inquiétude:
Le chagrin vient ensuite; elle sent chaque jour
Déloger quelques Ris, quelques Jeux, puis l’Amour;
Puis ses traits choquer et déplaire;
Puis cent sortes de fards. Ses soins ne purent faire
Qu’elle échappât au Temps, cet insigne larron.
Les ruines d’une maison
Se peuvent réparer: que n’est cet avantage
Pour les ruines du visage!
Sa préciosité changea lors de langage.
Son miroir lui disoit: Prenez vite un mari.
Je ne sais quel désir le lui disoit aussi:
Le désir peut loger chez une précieuse.
Celle-ci fit un choix qu’on n’auroit jamais cru,
Se trouvant à la fin tout aise et tout heureuse
De rencontrer un malotru.
VI
Story DNA
Moral
Excessive pride and unrealistic expectations can lead to loneliness and regret, as time inevitably diminishes superficial advantages.
Plot Summary
A proud young woman with impossibly high standards rejects numerous suitors, finding fault with every eligible man who comes her way. Confident in her beauty and independence, she scorns even mediocre matches. As time passes, her youth and charm fade, and her opportunities for marriage dwindle. Eventually, faced with loneliness and the reality of aging, she lowers her expectations and contentedly marries a man she would have once considered a 'malotru'.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to regret
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
La Fontaine's fables often satirized contemporary French society, and this fable specifically targets the 'précieuses' movement, which he viewed as overly artificial and vain.
Plot Beats (6)
- A proud young woman sets impossibly high standards for a husband, demanding beauty, wealth, wit, and specific personality traits.
- Many important suitors come forward, but she finds them all lacking, mocking their perceived flaws.
- She dismisses even less impressive suitors with scorn, believing herself too good for them and content in her solitude.
- Years pass, and the woman's youth, beauty, and charm begin to fade, along with her opportunities for marriage.
- Her mirror and her own internal desires prompt her to reconsider her stance.
- She ultimately chooses a man she would have once considered beneath her, a 'malotru', and finds happiness in this unexpected match.
Characters
La Fille (The Girl)
Initially described as 'belle' (beautiful) and 'fière' (proud), implying a graceful figure. Over time, her features begin to 'choquer et déplaire' (shock and displease), suggesting the onset of wrinkles, sagging skin, and other signs of aging, which she attempts to conceal with 'cent sortes de fards' (a hundred kinds of makeup).
Attire: As a young woman seeking a high-status husband, she would have worn fashionable French attire of the 17th century, likely dresses made of silk or brocade, perhaps in rich colors, with elaborate lace collars or cuffs, reflecting her 'précieuse' (precious/affected) nature and desire to impress. Later, as she ages and her prospects diminish, her clothing might become less ostentatious, though she would still attempt to maintain an appearance of dignity.
Wants: To marry a man who perfectly embodies wealth, noble birth, beauty, charm, intelligence, and an ideal temperament, reflecting her 'précieuse' ideals.
Flaw: Excessive pride and superficiality, which lead her to reject suitable matches and ultimately delay marriage until her beauty fades.
She begins as a beautiful, proud, and overly selective young woman who rejects many suitors. As she ages, her beauty fades, her options dwindle, and her pride gives way to anxiety and regret. She eventually learns humility and settles for a 'malotru' (boorish man), finding unexpected happiness in compromise.
Proud, demanding, superficial, disdainful, anxious, eventually pragmatic.
Le Temps (Time)
Described as 'cet insigne larron' (this notable thief). While abstract, if personified, Time might be depicted as an inexorable, perhaps gaunt or shadowy figure, constantly moving forward, with hands that subtly erode beauty and youth.
Attire: Flowing, dark, or ethereal robes that seem to shift and change, perhaps adorned with symbols of clocks or hourglasses, suggesting its relentless passage.
Wants: To fulfill its natural function: the passage of moments, leading to aging and decay.
Flaw: None, as it is an unstoppable force.
Remains constant throughout the story, serving as the immutable force that brings about the protagonist's change.
Relentless, impartial, inevitable, destructive (to beauty and youth).
Locations
The Daughter's Home
Likely a comfortable, well-appointed bourgeois home in 17th-century France, reflecting the daughter's 'precious' (précieuse) sensibilities and her family's status. It would feature period-appropriate furniture, perhaps some decorative elements, and a mirror that becomes a key object.
Mood: Initially one of self-importance and disdain, later shifting to anxiety, regret, and eventually resignation.
This is where the daughter receives suitors, rejects them, and later confronts her aging reflection and changing desires. It's the primary setting for her internal and external struggles.