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January 12, 1628


Charles Perrault, a French writer, was born on January 12, in 1628. Perrault popularized the story of Puss-N-Boots. In 17th century France, a land in which the memories of the Renaissance witchcraft trials (and their attendant cruelty to cats) were still vivid to some, in this land and since,the popularity of this story--of a cat wearing boots and cleverly acquiring a fortune for its owner--needs an explanation. I don't have one: what is the appeal of this story, is it a coded account of Protestant triumph, or an account of capitalist values. Not sure, yet.

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