la Fon ‧ taine, Jean de /læ fɒnˈteɪn $ lɑː fɑːn-, ʒɒn də $ ʒɑːn-/ BrE AmE
(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 .