Canis dans tous ses états Récit sériel, sagesse(s) et animal exemplaire

The well-known fable of the hound that presents itself to its horrified master soaked in blood after saving a baby from a snake serves as an illustration of a universal lesson about impulsiveness. From its beginnings in Indian and Arabic ­culture, it has been ­continuously refashioned through ­cultural transfer. Once assimilated as an exemplum by the Christian world, the story claims to serve as proof, but proof of what, exactly ? Its didactic value inevitably changes with each reformulation. Starting from a ­comparable, or at least recognizable, narrative matrix, the meaning may at times be ­considerably altered from that of its Arabic forebears ; this can be related to the pervasive influence of a number of Christian paradigms. If the Middle Ages had reasons of its own to invest this tale of wisdom with great significance, this was not necessarily the case in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. These later versions of the tale ultimately raise the issue of how a story that has become obsolete can ensure its survival in the publishing marketplace.