C D

172

FA BL E A fable is a story in either verse or prose
designed to convey a moral or lesson. PERSONIFICATION
is a common device used within fables, as animals and
objects are often the main characters. The most famous
collection of fables was written by Aesop. Fables were
common in the Middle Ages. Both MARIE DE FRANCE
and ROBERT HENRYSON wrote a series of fables based on
Aesop’s work. Another famous fable is GEOFFREY CHAU-
CER’s “The NUN’S PRIEST’S TALE,” a BEAST FABLE following
the adventures of a fox and a cock.
See also MORALL FABILLIS OF ESOPE THE PHRYGIAN, THE;
REYNARD LITERATURE.

FA BL I AU The term fabliau (pl. fabliaux) refers to a
comic tale that was especially popular in the Norman
and Picardy regions of France during the 13th century.
Generally, the fabliau is a short comical or satirical tale
written in verse and usually composed in octosyllabic
COUPLETs, the standard meter of courtly ROMANCE. It is
often considered to be a more realistic version of its
counterpart, the romance, and typically subverts the
ideals of courtly literature. Fabliaux dramatize the rib-
aldries of lower- and middle-class human characters
that are purportedly too raucous and obscene for
courtly convention to divulge. They are designed pri-
marily to entertain—usually with bawdy humor ridi-
culing the (im)piety of the clergy, the stupidity of
cuckolded husbands (often older men married to a
younger wives), or the insatiable sexual appetites of
women. Characteristically, each fabliau focuses on a

single, brief, episode and its immediate (and humor-

ous) consequences. The fabliaux were not intended for

private reading, but rather for public performance by

professional jongleurs (literally “jugglers” of words).

They often feature love triangles that mirror the ones

found in romances—a jealous and incapable husband,

a lecherous wife, and a randy cleric are ingredients in

one of the more common scenarios.

The fabliau style is vigorous, yet simple and straight-

forward, relying on bodily humor. Fabliaux are marked

by their irreverence—their snubbing of the dictates of

religion, the virtues, and the snobbery of the aristoc-

racy. Although not all fabliaux are sexually obscene or

explicitly bawdy, crudeness is a fabliau characteristic,

and many feature rude words (e.g., queynte [cunt],

cock, etc.). Some fabliaux feature “gentle” euphemisms

for sexual acts (e.g., broaching the cask, feeding the

pig, polishing the ring, etc.). Fabliaux are also distinc-

tive for their rather cynical treatment of women—par-

ticularly for featuring transgressive behavior by

women—and for vengeance schemes based on sex,

both of which contribute to their characteristic misog-

ynist outlook. A number of scholars have noted that

fabliaux have their own ironic sense of justice. The

endings, which often come as a surprise, have none-

theless been carefully set up throughout the story. In

this way, the ending seems artistically fi tting and

appropriate. Finally, another common source of humor

is the portrayal of decidedly uncourteous characters

trying to adopt stereotypically courteous manners. The

F