Les chants des oiseaux dans les fables : topoï, types et savoirs zoologiques

Abstract

From the end of the 17th century, the rich bestiary of the fables offers an ideal field of exploration to test the hypothesis of the topics of sound. Among the many crows, storks, roosters, owls, pigeons, sparrows, eagles, peacocks, nightingales, most of them have a singular, recognisable, imitable voice. All or almost all of them are anthropomorphised, as well as speak and play a major role in fiction. This article seeks to address the following questions based on the fables of La Fontaine, Perrault, Furetière, Fénelon and Mme de Villedieu in addition to Philippe Desprez and Houdar de la Motte: are bird songs always treated according to aesthetic criteria or according to their effects on the audience? Are there any narrative topoi associated with the songs of birds, or even with the songs of certain birds? Or are birds rather character types with a specific song as a characteristic? What is the place of zoological knowledge in these representations?