RIEN DE TROP
by Jean de La Fontaine · from Fables de La Fontaine
Adapted Version
What happens with too much? Let's see. It is hard to have just enough. Many things want more and more. They do not stop. This is a story about wanting too much. It is a lesson for us all. People talk of "just enough." They do not do it. They forget the rule.
The Wheat grew in a field. It was a gift from Heaven. The Wheat grew very tall. It grew very thick. There was too much Wheat. The stalks were close together. They took food from each other. The Wheat could not make good seeds. Its fruit was not strong. Too much growth was not good. The field was too full.
Heaven saw the Wheat. Heaven sent The Sheep. The Sheep came to eat some Wheat. They needed to make it less thick. But The Sheep did not stop. They ate too much Wheat. They ate all of it. The Sheep were very hungry. They did not leave enough Wheat. This was not good. The field became bare.
Heaven saw The Sheep. The Sheep ate too much. Heaven sent The Wolves. The Wolves came to stop The Sheep. They wanted to eat some Sheep. But The Wolves did not stop. They wanted to eat all The Sheep. The Wolves were very hungry. They ate too many Sheep. This was not good. They hunted every day.
Heaven saw The Wolves. The Wolves ate too many Sheep. Heaven sent The People. The People came to stop The Wolves. They needed to make them stop. But The People did not stop. They also took too much. They took many things for themselves. The People wanted more. This was not good. They forgot their task.
The People wanted too much. They are often like this. People know "not too much" is good. But they do not always do it. Everyone can want more. This story shows us this. It is a simple lesson for all. We must remember this. Wanting too much is a problem. Enough is good, not too much.
Original Story
RIEN DE TROP.
Je ne vois point de créature
Se comporter modérément.
Il est certain tempérament
Que le maître de la nature
Veut que l’on garde en tout. Le fait-on? Nullement;
Soit en bien, soit en mal, cela n’arrive guère.
Le blé, riche présent de la blonde Cérès,
Trop touffu bien souvent épuise les guérets:
En superfluités s’épandant d’ordinaire,
Et poussant trop abondamment,
Il ôte à son fruit l’aliment.
L’arbre n’en fait pas moins: tant le luxe sait plaire!
Pour corriger le blé, Dieu permit aux moutons
De retrancher l’excès des prodigues moissons:
Tout au travers ils se jetèrent,
Gâtèrent tout, et tout broutèrent:
Tant que le Ciel permit aux loups
D’en croquer quelques-uns, ils les croquèrent tous:
S’ils ne le firent pas, du moins ils y tâchèrent.
Puis le Ciel permit aux humains
De punir ces derniers: les humains abusèrent
A leur tour des ordres divins.
De tous les animaux, l’homme a le plus de pente
A se porter dedans l’excès.
Il faudroit faire le procès
Aux petits comme aux grands. Il n’est âme vivante
Qui ne pèche en ceci. Rien de trop est un point
Dont on parle sans cesse, et qu’on n’observe point.
XII
Story DNA
Moral
All creatures, especially humans, tend towards excess, despite knowing that moderation is best.
Plot Summary
The fable begins by stating that no creature behaves moderately, a principle even nature's master desires. It illustrates this with wheat, which grows excessively and harms itself. God then allows sheep to trim the wheat, but they over-graze. Heaven permits wolves to eat the sheep, and they try to devour all. Finally, humans are allowed to punish the wolves, but they too abuse their divine orders. The story concludes that humans are most prone to excess, constantly speaking of moderation but never practicing it.
Themes
Emotional Arc
observation to realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
La Fontaine's fables often drew on classical sources (Aesop, Phaedrus) and were intended to teach moral lessons, reflecting the intellectual and moral concerns of 17th-century France.
Plot Beats (6)
- The narrator introduces the idea that no creature acts with moderation, despite it being a natural law.
- The example of wheat is given: it grows too luxuriantly, depleting its own fruit.
- God allows sheep to prune the excessive wheat, but the sheep overdo it, devouring everything.
- Heaven then permits wolves to eat some of the sheep, and the wolves attempt to eat them all.
- Finally, Heaven allows humans to punish the wolves, but humans, in turn, abuse their divine orders.
- The narrator concludes that humans have the greatest tendency towards excess, failing to observe the principle of 'nothing in excess' despite constantly speaking of it.
Characters
Cérès
A radiant goddess of agriculture, often depicted with a mature and benevolent figure, embodying fertility and abundance. Her form is robust and healthy, suggesting the bounty she bestows.
Attire: Flowing, classical drapery in shades of gold, green, and earthy tones, made of fine linen or silk, often with a peplos or chiton style. She might wear a stola over a chiton, signifying her status.
Wants: To provide sustenance and abundance to the world.
Flaw: Her generosity can be exploited or lead to excess if not balanced.
Does not have an arc within this fable, serving as a symbolic figure.
Generous, benevolent, nurturing, bountiful.
The Wheat
Tall, slender stalks of grain, initially vibrant green, maturing into a rich golden-blonde. Each stalk culminates in a heavy, seed-filled ear, densely packed together in a field.
Attire: N/A (plant)
Wants: To grow and produce fruit.
Flaw: Its own abundance, which can lead to self-depletion.
Starts as a bountiful crop, becomes overgrown, is then pruned by sheep, allowing for better fruit.
Naturally abundant, prone to overgrowth if unchecked, self-sacrificing (in that overgrowth diminishes its own fruit).
The Sheep
Medium-sized, stocky animals covered in thick, creamy white wool. They have short legs, a rounded body, and a gentle, somewhat vacant expression. Their faces are typically clean, with dark eyes and small, floppy ears.
Attire: N/A (animal)
Wants: To eat and graze.
Flaw: Their insatiable appetite and lack of foresight, making them vulnerable to predators.
Initially helpful in pruning the wheat, they then overgraze and become excessive, leading to their own downfall.
Docile, gluttonous, prone to excess, destructive when unchecked.
The Wolves
Lean, powerful canids with a thick coat of grizzled grey and brown fur. They have strong jaws, sharp teeth, and piercing yellow or amber eyes. Their bodies are built for speed and hunting.
Attire: N/A (animal)
Wants: To hunt and eat, driven by hunger.
Flaw: Their own excessive predation, which leads to human intervention.
Initially serve a purpose in controlling the sheep, but then become excessive in their predation, leading to their own punishment.
Predatory, opportunistic, excessive, relentless.
The Humans
Varied, but generally depicted as capable and active, representing the common person. They are of average height and build, reflecting the general populace of 17th-century France.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing typical of 17th-century French peasants or commoners. Men might wear breeches, a linen shirt, and a simple tunic or doublet, with sturdy leather shoes. Women might wear a chemise, a simple skirt, an apron, and a bodice, with a coif or headscarf. Colors are muted, natural dyes like browns, greys, and undyed linen.
Wants: To maintain order and punish those who abuse divine commands.
Flaw: Their inherent tendency towards excess and abuse of power.
Begin as instruments of justice, but then fall into the same pattern of excess and abuse that they were meant to correct.
Initially just, capable of enforcing order, but ultimately prone to excess, abuse of power, and self-righteousness.
Locations
Fertile Wheat Field
A vast, open field of wheat, initially lush and overgrown, with stalks so dense they choke their own fruit. Later, it becomes a ravaged landscape, heavily grazed and trampled.
Mood: Initially abundant and prosperous, then chaotic and desolate, reflecting the theme of excess and destruction.
The initial setting where the wheat grows too abundantly, leading to its own detriment, and subsequently where sheep and wolves cause destruction.
Open Countryside
A general, expansive rural landscape where the actions of sheep, wolves, and humans unfold. It encompasses the wheat fields but also implies surrounding areas like pastures and perhaps distant forests.
Mood: Initially peaceful and pastoral, then becoming a stage for escalating conflict and unchecked behavior.
This is the broader stage where the 'correction' of nature's excesses takes place, with sheep overgrazing, wolves preying on sheep, and humans intervening excessively.