Fables for the Frivolous

Guy Wetmore Carryl took the venerable beast fables of Jean de La Fontaine and did something gloriously impudent with them: he kept the form but threw out the solemnity. Written in breezy verse, these are the originals as you've never heard them, where the Tortoise is 'persevering' and the Hare is 'pretentious,' where a Frog has opinions about Bulls that really should have stayed private. Each fable tumbles toward a punchline, then lands with a doublemeaning that would make La Fontaine either blush or laugh. Carryl was an American satirist working at the turn of the twentieth century, and his fables have the fizz of someone who knew that wisdom tastes better with a wink. The animals talk, the morals arrive on schedule, and somewhere between the first and last verse, you'll realize you've been unexpectedly entertained. It's the literary equivalent of dessert after a long dinner: light, sweet, and not remotely nutritious, but you'd not say no to another helping.