À l'image du Premier livre des Fables de La Fontaine qui révélait la sagesse par les animaux, notre ouvrage Une phrase en français, Une en anglais propose un dialogue inédit entre deux langues. Chaque page, comme une fable contemporaine, oppose une expression française à son équivalent anglais : là où La Fontaine disait « La Cigale, ayant chanté tout l'été... », nous confrontons « L'habit ne fait pas le moine » avec « Don’t judge a book by its cover », illustrant comment chaque culture traduit ses leçons de vie.
Inspiré par la structure des Fables (un récit + une moralité), ce livre associe systématiquement une phrase française imagée à sa contrepartie anglaise, suivie d'une brève analyse comparée. Le français voltige comme le renard de La Fontaine, tandis que l'anglais frappe avec la simplicité directe des proverbes shakespeariens. Des notes explicatives, aussi fines que les sous-textes des Fables, décryptent les implicites culturels.
Jean de La Fontaine (1621–1695) was one of the most influential French poets of the 17th century and is best known for his Fables, which have become classics of world literature. Drawing on sources such as Aesop’s fables, Indian tales like the Panchatantra, and Eastern traditions, La Fontaine transformed these moral stories into elegant French verse, rich in irony, wit, and philosophical insight. His works reflect the complexities of human nature through the voices of talking animals, allowing him to critique society under the guise of simple tales.
Born in Château-Thierry in northern France, La Fontaine was originally trained in law but soon turned to literature, gaining the patronage of influential figures such as Nicolas Fouquet and Madame de La Sablière. His Fables, published in several volumes between 1668 and 1694, span over 240 stories and are considered masterpieces of poetic storytelling. Each fable typically ends with a moral lesson, often targeting the vanity, greed, or hypocrisy of mankind, making them relevant far beyond their original historical context.
Though not a political figure or a courtier, La Fontaine observed the absolutist monarchy of Louis XIV with a keen and critical eye. In 1684, he was elected to the prestigious Académie Française, despite some resistance. He died in 1695, but his legacy endures: The Fables are taught in French schools to this day and remain widely read for their timeless wisdom, lyrical beauty, and subtle satire of human behavior.