《Contes》(English spelling)

... He advocated "Variety is my motto," and tried many genres, from various poems for occasional dedications, to hagiographical poems, opera librettos, and scientific poems about cinchona. He read a lot of books, from Plato to contemporary novels, and, unusually for a 17th-century writer, looked up to Rabelais and Marot as his teachers. He worked hard to refine his poetry and prose, while also trying to make use of the richness of old French, especially in his "Comtes" (1665-85). His fables began with Aesop's imitation, and his Comtes with Boccaccio and Ariosto's imitation. He maintained a classical creative attitude, primarily seeking models in antiquity, and he clearly stated the essence of the work by saying, "My imitation is not servitude." ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Contes" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　〈多種多様こそわが座右の銘〉を標榜した彼は，折々の献呈用の各種の詩編，聖人伝の詩，オペラ台本，キナを歌った科学詩まで多くのジャンルを試みた。プラトンから同時代の小説まで手当りしだいに多読し，17世紀作家には珍しくラブレー，マロも師と仰ぎ，詩句や散文の洗練に励むと同時に古いフランス語の豊かさを，とくに《コントContes》(1665‐85)で生かそうとした。寓話はイソップの，コントはボッカッチョとアリオストの模倣から出発したように，主として古代に範を求める古典主義的創作態度を貫き，〈わが模倣は隷属に非ず〉とその真髄を喝破した。…

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出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報