The Fox and the Grapes by Jean de La Fontaine

A starving fox sees ripe-looking grapes hanging high on a trellis and eagerly wants to eat them. Unable to reach the vine, he declares that the grapes are sour and fit only for dogs, rather than complain about his failure.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction · 127 words

First lines

A fox, almost with hunger dying, / Some grapes upon a trellis spying, / To all appearance ripe, clad in / Their tempting russet skin, / Most gladly would have eat them; / But since he could not get them, / So far above his reach the vine -- / 'They're sour,' he said; 'such grapes as these, / The dogs may eat them if they please!'

Did he not better than to whine? [1]

[1]: Aesop: Phaedrus, IV. 3.

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Similar titles

• The Raven And The Fox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Ass And The Little Dog by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Grasshopper And The Ant by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Eagle And The Beetle by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Two Mules by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Jay In The Feathers Of The Peacock by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — A brief allegorical animal tale that presents a clear moral lesson: people may disparage what they cannot obtain.
• Didactic Literature — The poem is designed to instruct readers about self-deception, pride, and rationalizing failure.
• Animal Fiction — Its central character is a speaking, humanly motivated fox whose behavior represents recognizable human traits.
• Allegory — The fox and unreachable grapes symbolize human desire, frustration, and the tendency to dismiss unattainable goals.

Tags

fable · verse narrative · animal allegory · fox · grapes · vineyard trellis · hunger · desire · frustrated ambition · unattainable desire · rationalization · self-deception

What this Textopian page supports

The Fox and the Grapes is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction, Allegory, Moral Tale
• Length: 127 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs

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• Work identity for The Fox and the Grapes by Jean de La Fontaine
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• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine