la Fontaine, Jean de
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishla Fontaine, Jean deJean de la Fontainela Fon‧taine, Jean de /læ fɒnˈteɪn $ lɑː fɑːn-, ʒɒn də $ ʒɑːn-/ (1621–95) a French poet, famous for his Fables, a collection of short stories which teach a moral lesson. The characters in these stories are usually animals that speak, and many of them are based on stories by the ancient Greek writer Aesop.