Literary notes about gosling (AI summary)
The word "gosling" in literature has been employed with notable versatility, oscillating between literal meaning and metaphorical nuance. In the fables of La Fontaine, for instance, the gosling is portrayed in stark contrast to the swan—embodying both culinary pragmatism and unremarkable beauty ([1], [2], [3]). Beyond its straightforward depiction, the gosling also appears in proverbial and satirical contexts, as seen in a wry transformation from gosling to goose over the Rhine ([4]) and in Rabelais’s absurd comparison of riding a gosling versus leading a sow ([5]). Additionally, in British folklore, the gosling even assumes a supernatural guise, emerging in legends where it is far more than just a young bird ([6]). This range highlights how the term has enriched literary imagery by capturing both the mundane and the magical.
- The pleasures of a poultry yard Were by a swan and gosling shared.
— from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine - The swan was kept there for his looks, The thrifty gosling for the cooks; The first the garden's pride, the latter A greater favourite on the platter.
— from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine - One day the cook, named Thirsty John, Sent for the gosling, took the swan, In haste his throat to cut, And put him in the pot.
— from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine - A gosling flew over the Rhine, and came home a goose.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs - If you were to go from hence to Cahusac, whether had you rather, ride on a gosling or lead a sow in a leash?
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais - And to two men at Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorganshire, the fiend appeared in the shape of a gosling.
— from British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes
