Trickster: Reynard the Fox

To finish up this week of Reynard the Fox, I'll go back to the theme of children's books that I started with, this time with one old and two new-ish books of Reynard for young readers. First, the older book: Reynard the Fox by C. S. Evans (Charles Seddon Evans), published in 1920.

The illutsrations are by L. R. Brightwell, and there are illustrations on (almost) every page; you can find out more about Brightwell at Wikipedia. Here is Reynard in the court of the Lion King:

From 1990 is Reynard the Fox by Selina Hastings.

The illustrations are by Graham Percy, with color illustrations on every page, including some lovely two-page spreads like this one:

And finally, from 1994, Reynard the Fox written and illustrated by Alain Vaës.

This book also has lavish full-color illustrations, including some two-page spreads like this one where Reynard is about to be hanged:

I hope you have enjoyed this week of Reynard's adventures. Next week, it will be all-Tortoise all-the-time! I'll get started this weekend.

Tricksters. Joseph Jacobs' Reynard

Continuing with this week of Reynard the Fox, I wanted to the contribution from Joseph Jacobs, one of the great English folklorists of the 19th century (and a special favorite of mine because of his extensive work on Aesop's fables). Here is his Jacobs' version of Reynard, following Caxton's version (see yesterday's post for more about Caxton), first published in 1895 and also available in modern re-editions: The Most Delectable History of Reynard the Fox. This is a highly readable version of Caxton, along with a useful introduction and notes by Jacobs:

The illustrations are by Frank Calderon; here you can see Reynard and the other animals in the court of the Lion King:

Interestingly, in a modern edition from 1967, Jacobs' introduction and notes have been discarded (sadly, in my opinion) and replaced by a "preface for parents" by Philip Rieff. The medieval Reynard the Fox was never intended for children as the audience, but with the infantilization of folklore in general, and of talking animals in particular, stories like Reynard, Aesop's fables, Brer Rabbit, etc., have been relegated to the category of "children's literature" in the modern age, which is especially a problem for the cruel and relentless Reynard! I'm not sure Rieff will be reassuring to parents who are wondering whether Reynard is a good story for young readers, but at least he does not sugarcoat the violence: "Reynard the Fox is about the violence inherent in winning; it has nothing to do whatever with being good or holy." Strangely, Rieff insists that Reynard is children's literature that adults might also enjoy, as opposed to the historial truth: this was adult literature, which is now also being enjoyed by children.

For another version of Jacobs, here is an edition from 1969 re-edited by Roy Brown: Reynard the Fox. This version further simplifies and modernizes Caxton's version, via Jacobs, to make it even more readable for a contemporary audience, and the book is intended specifically for young readers.

This book has illustrations by John Vernon Lord. Here you can see the miscreant Reynard about to be hanged:

So, if you are looking for user-friendly ways to get started with the Reynard literature (I'm not sure honestly how child-friendly they are thought, ha ha), these version from Joseph Jacobs, directly and indirectly, are a great place to begin.

The Most Delectable History of Reynard the Fox

by Joseph Jacobs

Reynard the Fox

by Roy Brown

Tricksters: Caxton's Reynard

Yesterday I shared some French and German versions of Reynard in English translation, and I am super-excited today to share the English Reynard published in 1481 by William Caxton, the early English publisher who also gave us the first printed Aesop in English. You can find many different editions of his Reynard online, and a nice user-friendly one to start with is this modern edition edited by N. F. Blake: The History of Reynard the Fox by William Caxton.

This is a publication of the Early English Text Society and it contains a detailed introduction, almost 70 pages long, about the medieval beast epic tradition in general and about Reynard in particular. The story of Reynard itself is slightly over 100 pages, and there are also detailed notes on the text along with a glossary and an index of names. The printing has been modernized and abbreviations have been expanded, but aside from these changes, the text is Caxton's own. You can get a sense of what Caxton's English is like from this opening paragraph (click on the image for a larger view):

You can use Blake's edition together with this lovely version from William Morris: The History of Reynard the Foxe. Morris's version is beautiful to look at, but harder to read, which is why using both Blake and Morris together works very nicely!

For an edition of Caxton with the English spelling and punctuation modernized, there is this very nice edition by Donald B. Sands: The History of Reynard the Fox. 

There is also a very useful introduction, and you can see what the modernized English looks like here (click on the image for a larger view):

And finally here's a fun experiment: a versification of Caxton's English: The History of Reynard the Fox, his friends and his enemies, his crimes, hairbreadth escapes and final triumph; a metrical version of the old English translation by Frederick S. Ellis, with text decorations by none other than Walter Crane!

And here's how this one begins (click for a larger view):

So there you go: multiple versions of Caxton's Reynard: Caxton's spelling, modernized spelling, and a version in verse! Put them all together, and you have a complete Caxton experience, all just a click away at the Internet Archive!

Tricksters. Reynard the Fox in verse

Yesterday I shared the Oxford World's Classics edition of the medieval French "Roman de Renart" in English prose translation, and today I wanted to share a verse translation by Patricia Terry: Renard the Fox: The Misadventures of an Epic Hero.

The English verse is delightful to read; you can get a sense of that here as she introduces us to Renard on the prowl:

A high and sharp-edged palisade

With densely planted hawthorn hedges

Clustered against its outer edges.

Sir Constant was sure it would protect

His hens. Renard went to inspect,

Head lowered to avoid exposure;

Quiet, he goes toward the enclosure.

But Renard, so skillful for the hunt,

Finds the thorns very far from blunt,

And time and again he turns away.

He can't come closer to his prey

Whether he lies low or springs out

But the hens he cannot live without.

Terry has translated four of the "branches" of the medieval French text, and in an appendix she provides summaries of the other branches. There are also very helpful notes following the text, plus a detailed introduction to help put the poem in its medieval cultural context, along with a complete list of characters.

You can find translations into English verse of other versions of Reynard's story too. For example, here is an English verse translation followed the German version by Goethe: Reynard the Fox, translated by Thomas James Arnold.

It features Wilhelm von Kaulbach's illustration for the German edition; here you can see Reynard on trial and about to be hanged:

There is another version of Goethe in verse by E. W. Holloway, Reynard the Fox, A Poem in Twelve Cantos:

The illustrations here are from the German edition illustrated by Heinrich Leutemann; this is Reynard in the court of the Lion King:

Finally, a third translation from the German by a translator only identified as "V.D." (does anyone know the full name?): Reynard the Fox, A Burlesque Poem from the Low-German.

Update. From a later edition online, I can now provide the author's name: John L. Forrest.

This one has illustrations by J. J. Mora; here is the Lion King lying sick in bed:

So, whether you want verse from the French or from the German versions, the Internet Archive has the Reynard you are looking for! You can see all this week's posts here, and I'll be back tomorrow with more: Week 71 - Reynard the Fox.

Tricksters: Roman de Renart

Carrying on with this week dedicated to Reynard the Fox, I have two offerings from Oxford University Press today. one for young readers, and one that is more academic. Here's the book for young readers in the Oxford Myths and Legends series: Renard the Fox by Rachel Anderson and David Bradby.

The illustrations are by Bob Dewar, and there is a mix of color and black-and-white drawings; I love this one of Renard the musician:

These are the stories you will find here: Adam, Eve, and Renard; Renard and Wolf; Renard and Crow; Renard and Heron; Renard and Wolf Go Fishing; Renard Changes Colour; Renard, Sheep, and Donkey; Renard and the Eels; Renard and the Rooster; Renard Goes to Paradise; Renard and the Fatty Sausage; and Renard and the Blue-Tit. 

All those stories are adapted from the medieval French Roman de Renart, and you can read a scholarly translation of that work in this book from the Oxford World's Classics series: The Romance of Reynard the Fox, in a new translation by D. D. R. Owen. 

The book provides a detailed introduction to the medieval Reynard literature in general and to the Roman de Renart in particular. The translation is in prose, but with line number references for people who want to compare the translation with the French text as edited by Dufournet, which you can also find at the Archive: Le Roman de Renart.

And come back tomorrow for even more adventures with Reynard the Fox! There are plenty of books to fill the whole week, and more besides. :-)

Renard the Fox

by Rachel Anderson and David Bradby

The Romance of Reynard the Fox
by D. D. R. Owen

Le Roman de Renart

[French edition]

Tricksters. Reynard for Young Readers

After a week of Nasruddin stories, the focus for this will be a famous animal trickster: Reynard the Fox, a famous character in many European traditions. You can find out some basics about Reynard at Wikipedia, If Reynard is new to you, then children's books are always a great place to start. I even found a version of the Reynard story told in very simple language for young readers: Reynard the Fox by Emma Louise Smythe.

This book was published in 1908 as part of the "Eclectic School Readings" series, and it is designated as a "beginning first reader's book." I was also pleased to see that Smythe advocates having young readers write their own versions of the story, engaging creatively with the characters and their adventures. 

You can get a sense of the simple style here on the opening page of the story; click the image for a larger view.

The book has illustrations too! Here is Reynard getting the pig:

For a more modern children's version, here is Something Nasty in the Cabbages, told and illustrated by Diz Wallis; you can find out more about Wallis's work at his website: DizWallisArt.com.

Here is the fox contemplating the chickens:

This is just one tiny episode from the Reynard cycle, but it is a fun way to get started! The English poet Chaucer chose this episode to include in the Canterbury Tales and there is a Caldecott-winning children's book from the 1950s that also tells this story for children: Chanticleer and the Fox, written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Look closely and you'll see the fox peaking out from his hiding place in the bushes:

Here's a two-page spread showing the rooster and the sly Reynard:

So, here are some fun stories and also art to enjoy! I'll be back tomorrow with some more Reynard children's books, and then different editions of Reynard for older readers later in the week.

Reynard the Fox

by Emma Louise Smythe

Something Nasty in the Cabbages

by Diz Wallis

Chanticleer and the Fox

by Barbara Cooney