Fabulae Gallicae

Learn­ing Latin and know­ing Latin is hard work. Find­ing good lit­er­a­ture writ­ten in good clas­si­cal Latin to read at an appro­pri­ate lev­el is at times difficult.

With Fab­u­lae Gal­li­cae the list of good lit­er­a­ture in Latin has grown a lit­tle longer. Not only are we treat­ed to one of sto­ry­telling history’s most famous works, but it has also been dili­gent­ly trans­lat­ed into Latin.

The trans­la­tor, Lau­rent d’Aumale, has with the sup­port of Latinitium’s Daniel Pet­ters­son, trans­lat­ed Charles Perrault’s 17th cen­tu­ry book of fairy­tales into a clas­si­ciz­ing Latin. The trans­la­tion can be read both as a learn­ing tool and as engag­ing lit­er­a­ture for the flu­ent Latinist.

Every coun­try has its favourite Per­rault tales. Some are even bet­ter known to Eng­lish speak­ers than to French speak­ers, such as Dia­monds and Toads. Oth­ers, like Blue­beard and Don­keyskin, are much-loved by French chil­dren, yet may have been judged too vio­lent and cru­el to receive wide accep­tance abroad.

When read­ing Fab­u­lae Gal­li­cae, you will find your­selves in a mag­i­cal world that may strike you as both famil­iar and strange. When read­ing for instance Bel­la Puel­la in Sil­va Sopi­ta (i.e. Sleep­ing Beau­ty) you might rec­og­nize the first half, since it’s sim­i­lar to the Dis­ney adap­ta­tion, while the oth­er half might sur­prise and – per­haps – hor­ri­fy you. Con­verse­ly, in Cucul­lus Ruber (Lit­tle Red Rid­ing Hood), you might be shocked to dis­cov­er how Per­rault’s tale ends or, rather, how it does not end.

Perrault’s tales are charm­ing and amus­ing, intrigu­ing and some­times provoca­tive. With Per­rault, social satire and deri­sion are nev­er far away, and he uses mul­ti­ple inter­pre­ta­tive lay­ers which make for both pleas­ant read­ing and ani­mat­ed discussions.