Education by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: Education
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

Lapluck and Caesar are brothers descended from dogs celebrated by Fame. Separated in puppyhood, Caesar is raised in the vast woods as a hunting dog, while his brother lives in a kitchen guarding it from thieves. Their different training reshapes their characters and even their names. Caesar develops his natural qualities, achieves distinction by confronting stags and boars, and becomes renowned among his pack; care is taken to preserve his noble line from inferior breeding. His neglected brother becomes coarse and is contemptuously named Lapluck by a scullion. He mates indiscriminately and fathers an innumerable race of turnspits throughout France, creatures who avoid danger and stand in complete opposition to the brave Caesars. The tale argues that sons may decline beneath their fathers when they receive no proper care: without cultivation, even Nature’s finest gifts degenerate, and those born with godlike promise can become mere servants of the kitchen.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1678 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Poetry, Moral Allegory · 329 words

First lines

Lapluck and Caesar brothers were, descended / From dogs by Fame the most commended, / Who falling, in their puppyhood, / To different masters anciently, / One dwelt and hunted in the boundless wood; / From thieves the other kept a kitchen free. / At first, each had another name; / But, by their bringing up, it came, / While one improved upon his nature, / The other grew a sordid creature, / Till, by some scullion called Lapluck, / The name ungracious ever stuck. / To high exploits his brother grew, / Put many a stag at bay, and tore / Full many a trophy from the boar; / In short, him first, of all his crew, / The world as Caesar knew; / And care was had, lest, by a baser mate, / His noble blood should e'er degenerate. / Not so with his neglected brother; / He made whatever came a mother; / And, by the laws of population, / His race became a countless nation -- / The common turnspits throughout France -- / Where danger is, they don't advance -- / Precisely the antipodes / Of what we call the Caesars, these!

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Education is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1678 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1678 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Didactic Poetry, Moral Allegory, Animal Tale, Satirical Poetry
Length: 329 words
Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Fable — The poem uses personified dogs and a concise narrative to illustrate a moral lesson about upbringing, care, and degeneration.
Didactic Poetry — Its central purpose is instructional: it explicitly teaches that neglect and poor education can diminish natural gifts and inherited excellence.
Moral Allegory — The contrasting lives of Caesar and Lapluck allegorically represent how environment, training, and social treatment shape character and destiny.
Animal Tale — Dogs are the principal characters, and their different occupations, names, and descendants structure the narrative.