The Wolf and the Fox (Book XII)

The fable reflects on universal dissatisfaction with one’s condition, observing that those who envy another’s life may find it no better when they attain it. The speaker praises a young prince for having conceived the tale, then retells it in verse. A hungry fox envies the wolf, believing that wolves obtain fat mutton more easily than foxes obtain their meagre fare of chicks and old cocks. The wolf agrees to instruct him, gives him the skin of a dead brother to wear, and teaches him how to avoid the dogs guarding the flock. Gradually the fox grows accustomed to his wolf’s disguise and training. When a flock appears, he rushes among the sheep and terrifies them so thoroughly that dogs, shepherd, and sheep flee, leaving one sheep behind. Renard seizes this prize, but before he can eat it, a nearby cock crows. His natural appetite instantly overpowers his borrowed wolfish role: he drops both prey and skin and runs after the cock, forgetting his lessons, his prize, and his master. The fable concludes that appearances and assumed arts are useless when true nature inevitably reveals itself.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1693 · Genre: Fable, Beast Fable, Didactic Literature · 972 words

First lines

Whence comes it that there liveth not / A man contented with his lot? / Here's one who would a soldier be, / Whom soldiers all with envy see.

A fox to be a wolf once sigh'd. / With disappointments mortified, / Who knows but that, his wolfship cheap, / The wolf himself would be a sheep?

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Two Dogs And The Dead Ass by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Horse And The Wolf by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat The Weasel And The Young Rabbit by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat And The Old Rat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Elephant And The Ape Of Jupiter by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Lioness And The Bear by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — The work is a concise animal story ending with an explicit moral: outward disguise cannot suppress an individual's true nature.
• Beast Fable — A fox and a wolf act, speak, learn, and pursue ambitions like humans, using animal characters to represent recognizable human traits.
• Didactic Literature — Its narrative chiefly serves to instruct readers about contentment, authenticity, and the limits of imitation.
• Moral Allegory — The fox's wolf skin and failed predation allegorize the difference between assumed social roles and inherent disposition.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · seventeenth-century literature · animal allegory · talking animals · wolf and fox · disguise · borrowed identity · true nature · appearance versus reality · envy · dissatisfaction

What this Textopian page supports

The Wolf and the Fox (Book XII) is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1693 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: 1693 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Beast Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Allegory, Animal Tale
• Length: 972 words
• Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Wolf and the Fox (Book XII) by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

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