Reynard the Fox

by Anne Louise Avery

Paper Book, 2020

Status

Checked out
Due 27-01-2024

Call number

823.92

Collection

Publication

Oxford : Bodleian Library, 2020.

Description

"Reynard--a subversive, dashing, anarchic, aristocratic, witty fox from the watery lowlands of medieval East Flanders--is in trouble. He has been summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion, charged with all manner of crimes and misdemeanors. How will he pit his wits against his accusers--greedy Bruin the Bear, pretentious Courtoys the Hound, and dark and dangerous Isengrim the Wolf--to escape the gallows?"--Dust jacket flap

User reviews

LibraryThing member pgmcc
"Reynard the Fox" is a wonderful observation of human nature and the motivation that drives people's decisions in relation to their interactions with other people. Parts are like a treatise on the virtue of telling lies and the logic of pulling the wool over everyone's eyes.

All the characters in
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the story are animals, but this helps demonstrate the general application of the lessons within to diverse situations and to any time period. It is a fable full of questions and moral debates. It is also a demonstration of the power of PR and SPIN, something we experience in our everyday life when it comes to dealings with politicians, advertisers, lawyers, clergy, etc...

I found this book to be a wonderful doorway to a place where I could observe the world without being interrupted by the politics of named individuals or groups, yet I could see the applicability of the lessons to every situation, be it in the court of a monarch, the parliamentary houses of a democracy, the committee of a ruling totalitarian state, the boardroom of a multinational company, the management team of a privately owned company, the committee of a local voluntary organisation, or any group of people. It was a wonderful escapism, but also a focus on real life.

Anne Louise Avery's introduction, which I read after having read the story, contains a description of where the character of "Reynard" originated, and the literary path followed from its first appearance in Ancient Greek fables, through its first named appearance in medieval literature in 1149, to its appearance in this edition in 2020. She also mentions the influence the character has had on children's books and animated films (e.g. Disney's Robin Hood), and how the popularity of a French edition of the tales of our eponymous hero led to the old French word for fox, "goupil", falling into disuse and "renard" taking its place.

I had never heard of Reynard nor his tales, but Anne Louise Avery has shown me how influential this fox has been.

Yes, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read and willing to have a bit of a shake and an awakening to the world around them.
#ReynardTheFox #fable
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Language

Physical description

20 cm

ISBN

9781851245550

Barcode

91100000188504

Other editions

DDC/MDS

823.92
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