Are There Books Similar To The Story Of Reynard The Fox?

A clever, satirical tale of anthropomorphic animals such as Reynard the Fox is 'Chanticleer and the Fox', another medieval fable. This short story is rather more focused than 'Reynard the Fox', however, and though it contains plenty of humor, the main message of the tale is one of the consequences of pride and of deception. There's also, of course, the classic tale of 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame. With this tale, the characters are certainly as clever and scheming as those found in the stories of Reynard, but the more humorous tales of The Wind in the Willows center around the adventures of wise, dignified and kindly Badger, languid and emotional Rat, affable, uncomplicated butsometimes dim-witted Mole, and above all wildly, entitled and erratic Mr. Toad.

Another book to consider is ‘Watership Down’ by Richard Adams. Although not a humorous tale, Reynard’s themes are repeated throughout the tale of a group of rabbits struggling to live in harmony after being forced to leave their home. Classic animal folklore such as Aesop’s Fables also feature many of the animal tricksters. The legendary ‘Redwall’ series of novels also features many long battles between groups of animal characters, each featuring cunning, strategy and triumph.

I’m a huge fan of medieval literature, and Reynard the Fox tales are a special treat for me. Till Eulenspiegel, the medieval human trickster character who roams around Germany, has a similar kind of humor and similar kind of subversive attacks on authority as Reynard the Fox tales. There’s also a 13th-century French poem called The Romance of the Fox, which extends the stories of Reynard the Fox. It’s a very unusual, very specialized work, but worth searching out in translation.

It’s always fun to explore modern updates to older works. I’ve mentioned before how Reynard’s influence can be seen in all sorts of stories — but many are straight-up novels for adults. There’s The Builders, a merc-for-hire novel by Daniel Polansky that has the same sort of tension and dark humor as Reynard. And of course, no discussion of animal fiction as political commentary can begin without a nod to Orwell’s classic Animal Farm, which is not to say entertaining — but it is. For a completely different take, though, see how Reynard’s fiction has influenced even children’s literature – for example, the foxes in Disney’s Zootopia are just as cunning and sardonic as ever.

The Reynard the Fox stories I read are another reason why I love folklore: it’s all about the underdog (be it two-legged or four) outsmarting the bigger, more powerful foes. While not exactly the same sort of tales, The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov features the devil in Moscow, and his pet Behemoth is pure, unadulterated chaos energy, just like Reynard the Fox. Animal tricksters from around the world feature in a plethora of wonderful stories – many Native American tales feature the Great Trickster Coyote, for instance. And there are plenty of African Anansi stories too, all fun, wise and of a high standard. A recently purchased book, Trickster Makes This World by Lewis Hyde, has reinforced my love of such characters and their stories.