Paper's abstract

François Vallançon, The Scythian philosopher or Ars imitatur naturam
Originality is a much valued aesthetic and juridical category. It appeared rather recently. On the contrary, imitation is laughed upon by both artists and lawyers. However, this has not always been the case. In this fable, La Fontaine shows us how a wise man imitates nature and how, far from loosing any originality, he gains it. This is what La Fontaine himself did. This is precisely what a lawyer does when, leaning on nature, natural law, justice, he does not copy them, does not repudiate them, but accomplishes them.

Key Words : originality, imitation, nature, La Fontaine
t. 40, 1995 : p. 144-157

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