LES DEVINERESSES[\[52\]](#Footnote52)
by Jean de La Fontaine · from Fables de La Fontaine
![Cover: LES DEVINERESSES[\[52\]](#Footnote52)](/library-files/french/jean_de_la_fontaine/fables_de_la_fontaine/les_devineresses_52_footnote52/images/cover/cover_001.png?v=1773756920339)
Adapted Version
Do you know that people think things? They think some places are special. People often believe what others say. They think some places are very big. This is what people think. It is not always true.
In a big city, Paris, lived Madame Clara. She told people their fortunes. People thought she could see the future. They asked her many things. They asked about lost toys. They asked about their friends. Madame Clara did not have real magic.
Madame Clara was very clever. She was also very bold. Often, she was just lucky. She used some special words. People thought she had magic powers. They thought she knew all things. People called her a seer. But it was not real magic.
Madame Clara lived in a small attic room. She did not know real magic. But she earned much money. She bought a big house. She bought an office for her husband. Her attic room became very famous.
Madame Clara moved out. A new woman moved into the attic. Her name was Marie. The attic was still very famous. People called it "the magic room." It had magic.
Marie did not want to tell fortunes. "I cannot read!" she said. "I know no magic!" Marie said the truth. She was very honest. She had no special powers.
But people still came to the attic. They wanted Marie to tell fortunes. They believed the attic had magic. They thought the room was special. People did not listen to Marie.
Marie did not want to tell fortunes. But she was forced to do it. People gave her much money. She earned more than two clever lawyers. Marie was very surprised by this.
The attic had old, wobbly chairs. There was a broom handle too. These simple things made the room look special. People thought they were magic. The room felt very strange to them.
In a new room, people would laugh. They would not believe her. The special magic was in the attic. People believed in the attic room. Not in Marie herself.
Madame Clara was not famous now. She felt very sad. Her magic was in the attic. It was not in her. People forgot about Madame Clara.
So, the little attic was famous. Not the person inside. People believed in the place. Not the truth. It was not real magic. Just what people thought!
Original Story
LES DEVINERESSES[52].
C’est souvent du hasard que naît l’opinion,
Et c’est l’opinion qui fait toujours la vogue.
Je pourrois fonder ce prologue
Sur gens de tous états: tout est prévention,
Cabale, entêtement; point ou peu de justice.
C’est un torrent: qu’y faire? il faut qu’il ait son cours
Cela fut, et sera toujours.
Une femme, à Paris, faisoit la pythonisse:
On l’allait consulter sur chaque événement;
Perdait-on un chiffon, avait-on un amant,
Un mari vivant trop, au gré de son épouse,
Une mère fâcheuse, une femme jalouse;
Chez la devineuse on couroit
Pour se faire annoncer ce que l’on désiroit.
Son fait consistoit en adresse:
Quelques termes de l’art, beaucoup de hardiesse,
Du hasard quelquefois, tout cela concouroit,
Tout cela bien souvent faisoit crier miracle.
Enfin, quoique ignorante à vingt et trois carats,
Elle passoit pour un oracle.
L’oracle étoit logé dedans un galetas:
Là, cette femme emplit sa bourse,
Et, sans avoir d’autre ressource,
Gagne de quoi donner un rang à son mari;
Elle achète un office, une maison aussi.
Voilà le galetas rempli
D’une nouvelle hôtesse, à qui toute la ville,
Femmes, filles, valets, gros messieurs, tout enfin
Alloit, comme autrefois, demander son destin;
Le galetas devint l’antre de la Sibylle.
L’autre femelle avoit achalandé ce lieu.
Cette dernière femme eut beau faire, eut beau dire,
Moi devine[53]! on se moque: eh! messieurs, sais-je lire?
Je n’ai jamais appris que ma Croix de par Dieu.
Point de raisons: fallut deviner et prédire,
Mettre à part force bons ducats,
Et gagner malgré soi plus que deux avocats.
Le meuble et l’équipage aidoient fort à la chose:
Quatre siéges boiteux, un manche de balai,
Tout sentoit son sabbat et sa métamorphose.
Quand cette femme auroit dit vrai
Dans une chambre tapissée,
On s’en seroit moqué: la vogue étoit passée
Au galetas; il avoit le crédit.
L’autre femme se morfondit.
L’enseigne fait la chalandise.
J’ai vu dans le palais une robe mal mise
Gagner gros: les gens l’avoient prise
Pour maître tel, qui traînoit après soi
Force écoutants. Demandez-moi pourquoi.
XVI
Story DNA
Moral
Public opinion and superficial appearances often dictate success, regardless of actual merit or skill.
Plot Summary
A Parisian woman, despite being ignorant, establishes herself as a successful fortune-teller in an attic, gaining a reputation as an oracle through cleverness and public credulity. She earns enough to buy property and elevate her husband's status. When she leaves, a new woman moves into the now-famous attic. Despite the second woman's honesty about her lack of skill, the public insists she tell fortunes, believing the power resides in the attic itself. The second woman, against her will, becomes wealthy, while the original fortune-teller's personal success fades, demonstrating how public opinion and location can dictate success over actual merit.
Themes
Emotional Arc
amusement at human folly
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Jean de La Fontaine was known for his fables, often satirizing human nature and societal norms of his time, frequently drawing on classical sources and popular beliefs.
Plot Beats (12)
- The narrator begins by stating that opinion, not truth, creates trends and that people are often driven by prejudice.
- A woman in Paris sets herself up as a pythoness, consulted by people for all sorts of trivial and serious matters.
- Her success comes from cleverness, boldness, occasional luck, and a few technical terms, leading people to believe she's an oracle.
- Despite being ignorant, she earns a fortune from her attic dwelling, allowing her to buy an office and a house for her husband.
- A new woman moves into the now-famous attic, which has become known as the 'Sibyl's den'.
- This second woman protests, admitting she cannot read and has no divining skills.
- However, the public insists on consulting her, believing the attic itself holds the power.
- The second woman is forced to tell fortunes and earns more than two lawyers, despite her honesty.
- The humble furnishings of the attic, like wobbly chairs and a broom handle, contribute to the mystical atmosphere, reinforcing its reputation.
- The narrator concludes that if the second woman had spoken the truth in a well-furnished room, she would have been mocked, as the 'vogue' was attached to the attic.
- The original fortune-teller, now displaced, is left to pine away.
- The narrator adds an anecdote about a poorly dressed lawyer in the palace who gained clients because he was mistaken for a famous one, reinforcing the theme of appearance over substance.
Characters
The First Fortune-Teller
Of average height and build, she likely possessed a keen, observant gaze and a demeanor that could be both mysterious and reassuring, allowing her to project an air of wisdom despite her lack of genuine foresight. Her hands might have been expressive, used to gesture dramatically during her readings.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing suitable for a woman of modest means in 17th-century Paris, likely a dark wool or linen gown, perhaps with a plain white coif or cap to cover her hair, suggesting a humble yet serious disposition. No elaborate adornments, as her 'magic' was her selling point.
Wants: To gain wealth and social standing for herself and her husband, moving beyond her humble origins.
Flaw: Her entire success is built on a facade; if her deception were exposed, she would lose everything.
She successfully elevates her family's status and wealth through her deception, moving out of the attic and establishing her husband in a respectable position.
Clever, audacious, opportunistic, manipulative, resourceful. She used her wit and the public's gullibility to her advantage.
The Second Fortune-Teller
Likely a woman of sturdy, perhaps even plain, appearance, reflecting her genuine lack of education and her initial reluctance to embrace the role. Her hands might show signs of manual labor, contrasting with the refined image of a 'seer'.
Attire: Very humble, worn clothing, consistent with someone who has 'never learned anything but her ABCs'. A simple, patched linen dress, perhaps a faded apron, and sturdy, well-worn shoes, reflecting her genuine peasant background.
Wants: Initially, to avoid the role of a fortune-teller due to her ignorance. Later, to simply fulfill the public's demands and profit from the unexpected opportunity.
Flaw: Her genuine lack of education and belief in her own inability to divine fortunes makes her an unwilling participant.
Despite her protests and genuine ignorance, she is forced by public opinion and the 'vogue' of the location to become a fortune-teller, ultimately earning more than two lawyers against her will.
Reluctant, honest (initially), bewildered, ultimately pragmatic. She is forced into a role she doesn't want but eventually profits from it.
Locations
The Original Soothsayer's Garret
A small, cramped attic room in a Parisian building, likely with a low, sloped ceiling and a single window. The furnishings are sparse and humble, perhaps consisting of a rickety table and a few wobbly chairs, but imbued with an atmosphere of mystery and the occult by the original soothsayer's presence.
Mood: Mysterious, bustling, expectant, a place of whispered secrets and hopeful predictions, despite its humble appearance.
This is where the first soothsayer established her reputation and amassed her fortune, becoming a popular oracle for all Parisian society.
The New Soothsayer's Garret
The very same attic room, now occupied by a new, uneducated woman. Despite her lack of skill, the room itself, with its 'four lame seats' and 'broom handle,' continues to exude an aura of magic and the 'sabbat and metamorphosis,' maintaining its reputation as the 'Sibyl's den' due to its established vogue.
Mood: Superstitious, ironically magical, a place where belief overrides reality, still bustling with hopeful clients.
This is where the second, uneducated woman, against her will, is forced to act as a soothsayer and continues to gain wealth, demonstrating the power of public opinion and the location's established reputation.
A Tapestried Chamber
A hypothetical, well-appointed room, richly decorated with tapestries, representing a more conventional and respectable setting. The story implies that if the second soothsayer had delivered her predictions here, her words would have been dismissed, highlighting the garret's unique, almost magical, influence.
Mood: Formal, respectable, but ironically lacking the 'vogue' or perceived magic of the garret.
This location serves as a contrast to the garret, illustrating that the setting, not the person, held the true power of persuasion and public opinion.