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Posted in Languages

Understanding “Et que ce n’est pas chose étrange”

That would be: Ce n’est pas un chien; de chien would be used in il n’y a pas de chien (there is no dog), du chien in the dubious ce n’est pas du chien (that’s not dog).
Standard French would be Ce n’est pas une chose étrange (chose is a regular sustantive). Poetical/literary might be Ce n’est pas chose étrange (chose is used here as an invariable word). See chose¹ and chose² in the tlfi.
Today’s form is pas un. At the time of Perrault, the form without an article was probably more common but unlikely the usual one. In some cases, several forms are still possible:

Il n’y avait pas homme plus heureux !

Il n’y avait pas d’homme plus heureux !

Il n’y avait pas un homme plus heureux !