Creighton University

Lively cartoons present DW, "The Lion and the Fox," "The Peacock and the Crane," FG, "The Fox and the Rooster," and OF in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8".  My prize goes to the cheerleader-like leaping fox in FG at the center staples.

Lively cartoons present MM, "The Pretentious Young Woman," MSA, "The Lion Conquered by the Man," "The Shepherd and the Sea," and "The Angler and the Little Fish" in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8".  My prize goes to the lion who overhears someone extrapolating from a picture of a conquered lion to humans' superiority over lions.  The image here at the center staples shows the lion chasing several fleeing persons.

Colored cartoons present "The Flautist Donkey"; "The Duck and the Snake"; "The Two Rabbits"; "The Frog and the Hen"; "The Mole and the Other Animals"; and "The Nightingale and the Sparrow."   For all the pungency of Iriarte's critiques, the cartoons strike me as rather tame.  There are 16-pages in this pamphlet that is about 7" x 8".

Lively cartoons present GA: "The Weasels and the Cat"; "The Fox and the Monkey"; TMCM; "The Avaricious Bear"; and TH.  "The Weasels and the Cat" is presumably a presentation of "The Weasel, the Rabbit, and the Cat."  "The Avaricious Bear" is the miser who buried his treasure.  This version of TH, rightly for La Fontaine's version, has the rabbit lingering at the start.  It also adds eating carrots along the way; that is an addition to La Fontaine's version.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the grasshopper and his guitar, top hat, scarf, and snow-covered umbrella.

Lively cartoons present "The Eagle and the Beetle"; "The Fox and the Goat"; "The Stag and the Lion"; "The Cat and the Rats"; "The Little Goat and the Flautist Wolf"; and "The Horse and the Ass."  In "The Eagle and the Beetle," I think the original fable's idea is that the beetle scatters dung in Jupiter's lap.  The god then arises and brushes what is in his lap away, including the eagle's eggs.  In this version, the beetle throws a huge dollop of dung onto king lion's head!  This series apparently regularly replaces humans and gods with animals.  "The Stag and the Lion" makes several changes in La Fontaine's fable.  Instead of allowing the stag to reflect on his gifts and limitations, this version has a frog ask about his legs, which the stag has called "weak."  Instead of pursuing dogs, we have a pursuing lion.  "The Cat and the Rats" is La Fontaine's version of the cat who tried to look dead to attract the rats.  Unfortunately, the image has the cat firing a shotgun at the fleeing rats!  Perhaps the writer and image-maker did not get together on their understanding of this fable!  In "The Horse and the Ass," the horse now must carry the master and all of the ass's burdens.  My prizes in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" go to the lion hit by the eagle's massive ball of dung and to the helpful goat helping the fox get out of the well.

Lively cartoons present "The Widow and the Servant-Girls"; "The Father and Two Daughters"; "The Worker and His Sons"; "The Woman and the Hen"; "The Fox and the Shepherd-Girl"; and "The Star-Gazer."  "The Fox and the Shepherd-Girl" is a version of the fable in which the fox asks for help from a woodsman and gets it, but the woodsman gestures to his questioners showing where the fox is, even though his words say that he has not seen the fox.  The trackers do not get the hint, but the fox understands what has happened and renders no thanks, in this case to the pretty young shepherd girl who betrayed him.  My prizes in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" go to two pretty young women among the many pretty young women in this number.  There is even one in the astronomer story!  My two prizes are the "pastora" who tries to give a hint to the trackers, even though they are too slow to perceive it, and to the woman feeding the hen twice as much in hopes that the hen will produce twice as much.  Usually she is an older woman; here she is young and pretty – and not so smart.

Lively cartoons present "The Bear, the Monkey, and the Hog"; "The Squirrel and the Horse"; "The Cock and the Peacock"; "The Crow and the Turkey"; "The Ox and the Grasshopper"; "The Eggs"; and "The Monkey."  Ayné plays with his images here, and that is always a good sign.  A cook is flipping eggs in a pan, and one monkey is jumping from a window.  My prizes in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" go to the ox and the grasshopper, looking at each other so seriously!

Lively cartoons present "The Woodman and the Axe"; "The Three Desires"; "People and Fortune"; "The Broken-Down Cart"; "The Cobbler and the Banker"; "The Girls and the Oyster."  Is "The Three Desires" really a La Fontaine fable?  Really a fable?  "People and Fortune" is about the rich man who attributes his riches to his acumen.  When he becomes suddenly poor, he attributes it to bad luck.  "The Broken-Down Cart" is the traditional "Hercules and the Waggoner" story; here a fairy, not Hercules, is involved.  This booklet changes the normal wranglers about the oyster into "muchachas."  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the four illustrations for "The Cobbler and the Banker"; every one is spirited and engaging.

Full-color cartoons present "The Eagle and the Crow"; "The Goat and the Donkey"; FK; "The Two Dogs"; DLS; "The Eagle and the Turtle."  In "The Goat and the Donkey" the goat recommends to the donkey to play sick.  The farmer goes to the veterinarian and learns that the best cure for the donkey is an infusion of goat meat!  The illustration shows the goat falling down a mountainside.  Where does that event, not in the text, fit in?  "The Two Dogs" turns into a condemnation of parents who teach their children laziness.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the last illustration for DLS, in which the laughing fox trots ahead lion-skinned donkey, a donkey, by the way, who runs like a person!

Full-color cartoons present "The Boy and Fortuna"; "The Lying Walker"; BS: "The Fox and the Bust"; "The Women and the Secret"; and TT.  "The Lying Walker" is new to me, at least as a La Fontaine fable.  One traveler claims to have seen a cabbage bigger than a house.  The other claims lately to have found a pot larger than a church.  "What use is that?" asks the first traveler.  The answer is "to cook your cabbage!"  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to all four of the illustrations for "The Women and the Secret," including the last illustration showing a mountain of eggs twice as tall as the women gossiping about it!

Full-color cartoons present "The Purchase of the Ass"; "The Hunter and the Ferret"; "The Gardener and His Master"; "The Linnet and the Swan"; "The Elephant and the Other Animals"; and "The Concert of the Beasts."  "The Purchase of the Ass," who is in the best of animal finery but is sick and wounded, is like the purchase of a book with great covers but worthless inside.  "The Hunter and His Ferret" tells of a bragging hunter interrupted by his ferret, who did all the work.  But that reality check did not stop the hunter from his bragging.  "The Gardener and His Master" has the gardener, trying to please his master, alternately starving either fish or flowers.  In "The Linnet and the Swan," the latter criticizes the former for constant singing.  Challenged to sing herself, the swan can only cackle.  "The Elephant and the Other Animals" is the first in Iriarte's published collection.  The elephant offers critique to the whole group, at which some bristle.  That is a sign that they need to take it seriously.  So too with Iriarte's fables: he is not pointing at individuals.  "Who feels the censure linger must sup on his own bread."  "The Concert of the Beasts" turns out to be cacophonous.  Each does his own thing, blaming others for ill and taking credit for what is good.  King Lion says that he will never listen to their music again.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the two contrasting cartoons in the first fable.  The ass is at first all decked out and then covered with bandages.

Lively cartoons present TB; "The Bird and the Feather"; "The Worker and Providence"; "Flies"; "The Woman, the Fox, and the Rooster"; and "The Beauty and the Mirror."  "The Worker and Providence" is about the napping worker hit on the nose by an acorn.  Flies die by getting stuck in honey; humans perish in the prisons of the vices that dominate them.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the vivid picturing of the last fable.  Before the text we see a young woman beautifying herself before a mirror, with a monkey next to her doing the same.  On the next page we see a terrified woman and the monkey holding her paws before her own eyes.  We turn the page and see the woman throwing a hairbrush into the mirror.  The mirror is telling her the truth that, it seems, friends might not tell.  This volume, by contrast with others in the collection, has a printer's design after almost every fable.

Full-color cartoons present "The Rooster and the Weasel"; "The Fishermen Who Netted Rocks"; SW; "The Lame Fox and the Elephant"; "The Lion and the Rabbit"; and "The Lion and the Dolphin."  "The Rooster and the Weasel" involves multiple accusations by the weasel and self-justifying answers by the rooster.  The fishermen spend significant time pulling their net up, all the while discussing what they will do with their immense profits.  The Aesopic moral is about balancing joy and sorrow.  In "The Lame Fox and the Elephant" the sick elephant dismisses the lame fox; if she cannot cure herself, why should others entrust themselves to her care?  The lion leaves the sleeping rabbit in order to hunt a stag, trusting stupidly that the rabbit will be there when he returns.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the first illustration of the weasel cooking the rooster in a pot over a fire.  The artist goes well beyond the writer's text, who simply has the weasel calmly devouring the rooster.

Lively colored cartoons present "The Traveler and the Rented Mule"; "The Goat and the Horse"; "The Eagle and the Lion"; "The Silkworm and the Spider"; "The Magpie and the Monkey"; and "The Maker of Braids and the Maker of Lace."  The mule that attacks a route ferociously cannot be trusted to finish the route.  "The Goat and the Horse" features debate between the two over sweet violin music.  The horse gives his tail's hair to generate the music while the goat raptures over his entrails that will occasion such great music.  "Only when you are dead," the horse responds.  "The Eagle and the Lion" includes a bat.  Neither of the kings will accept the two-faced bat into his realm.  The silkworm puts down the spider's hasty but cheap and passing work.  The magpie proudly shows off her heap of worthless baubles.  The monkey by contrast stores up good things to eat.  The gold-maker wonders why the lacemaker gets so much more money for her work.  She answers that quality of work is more important than the raw materials.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the four spirited illustrations for "The Magpie and the Monkey."

Full-color cartoons present WL; BF; FC; LS; WC; and 'The Panther and the Shepherds."  LS is transformed, presumably for the tender sensitivities of little children.  Instead of killing and dividing a stag, the four partners look forward to dividing a treasure, pictured as a chest of gold coins.  The panther is caught in a trap.  Some shepherds pelt him with stones, and some toss him bread so that he can stay alive.  He escapes and goes after their village.  He takes vengeance on those who threw stones and spares those who threw bread.  My prizes in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" go to the final pictures in both WL and FC.  The facial expressions of the principal characters in each of these tell the outcome of the story wonderfully!

Lively cartoons present "The Wolf and the Mule"; FS; "The Bat and the Weasels"; LM; "The Rooster and the Fox"; and "The Horse and the Stag."  "The Wolf and the Mule" here is a form of DW.  This wolf is not described as "still running," as in La Fontaine.  "The Rooster and the Fox" is a version of UP, but with the rooster situated in this case on the back of an elephant.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the final illustration: the horse, now outfitted with a bit and reins, weeps while standing at the trough.

Full-color cartoons present "The Swallow and the Birds"; "The Mule and the Thieves"; "Death and the Woodman"; OR; BC; and "The Lion and the Mosquito."  The swallow advises the other birds to eat up the hemp seeds that will produce nets to enslave them.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the depiction of the oak in OR.  One has to search for the one spindly reed that will outlast the oak.  Two extra-textual rabbits have a picnic, displayed prominently in the foreground of this double-page at the central staples.

Lively colored cartoons present "The Cathedral Bell and the Little Bell"; "The Muff, the Fan, and the Umbrella"; "The Bee and the Cuckoo"; "The Wolf and the Shepherd"; "The Naturalist and the Lizards"; and "The Two Inns."  The little bell came to be as highly regarded as the cathedral bell because it was rung only on great occasions.  So some people try to make an impression by seldom speaking.  The umbrella one-ups both the summer fan and the winter muff by his claim to be helpful against both rain in winter and sun in summer.  The bee criticizes the cuckoo for his monotonous song; then the cuckoo criticizes the bee for his monotonous cells.  The bee explains that uniformity in works of usefulness is helpful.  In works of taste it is a tedious waste.  The wolf defends himself: his skin, his claws, his teeth, his fat are used by people productively.  The shepherd responds "No thanks to you if, now and then, some good you chance to do."  Iriarte of course applies the lesson to contemporary books.  One lizard escapes after he sees what the naturalist has done in dissecting his fellow lizard.  He goes back and reports to the lizards that they are highly analyzed and highly respected "whatever spiteful folks may say."  So, Iriarte says, we give bad writers an overblown idea of themselves if we take their trashy writing seriously.  The two inns, like books, belie their covers.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the four illustrations of the lizards.

Lively cartoons present "The Quail"; "The Two Frogs"; "The Farmer and the Stork"; "The Dog and the Crocodile"; "The Wolf and the Skinny Dog"; and "The Weasel and the Rats."  The quail caught in a trap is an example of the many who out of blind appetite sacrifice everything to gain "a nothing."  The pond frog admonishes the path frog to get out of the way of so many dangers.  Just as the latter is exclaiming in wonder how he could never leave the home of his ancestors, a wagon comes along and kills him.  People cling to blind custom!  The crocodile wants the dog on the shore to stand still, probably in order to eat him.  "It is harmful, I know, to drink and walk, but is it healthy to sit around waiting to get attacked?"  "The Wolf and the Skinny Dog" is a replay of the "Bird in the Hand" proverb.  "The Weasel and the Rats" has the former disguising herself in a heap of flour.  My prize in this 16-page pamphlet about 7" x 8" goes to the first image for "The Wolf and the Skinny Dog," in which the latter is running desperately from the spritely former.  This volume, by contrast with most others in the collection, has a printer's design after several fables.