Rachel Anderson

Ever since reading Pat O'Shea's marvelous children's fantasy, The Hounds of the Morrigan, as a girl, and falling in love with Cú Rua the fox, I have had a soft spot in my heart for these cunning red creatures, and have enjoyed reading of their folkloric exploits. Adapted from Le Roman de Renart, a twelfth-century French story collection, this anthology of tales follows the amusing adventures of the crafty Renard, fox-trickster extraordinaire.

Here the reader will learn of Fox's creation, in Adam, Eve, and Renard, a tale which at first glance seems rather misogynistic, with its depiction of Adam creating all the useful creatures with God's magic stick, and Eve all the "savage beasts." One has to wonder, on the other hand, whether this association of the male with domesticated species, and the female with undomesticated ones, is a hold-over from goddess worship.

In Renard and the Wolf, the ever-hungry Renard convinces his friend Wolf to break into the local church with him, in order to feast on the village's harvest decorations, only to abandon him when an angry crowd arrives. Renard and the Crow, in which the crafty fox tricks a crow into dropping his cheese, by flattering him with praise of his singing, is strongly reminiscent of one of Aesop's classic fables. And Renard and Heron sees the fox hunting a heron - creating a false sense of security in his prey by floating a number of startling rafts on the nearby river, before approaching himself.

Renard and Wolf Go Fishing, the story of a deliberate prank of Renard's, in which Wolf loses his tail and is soundly beaten, is similar to a number of Native American tales I have read, in which Bear loses a tail. Renard Changes Colour sees the wily fox declared an outlaw by the king, and finding an unlikely disguise when he falls into a vat of yellow dye, while Renard, Sheep, and Donkey sees the trickster repenting of his ways, and making a pilgrimage to Rome.

Renard and the Eels is another tale that seemed very familiar to me (Aesop, perhaps?), and involves one of the fox's classic tricks: playing dead in order to lull suspicion. Renard and the Rooster sees the trickster tricked by a fowl, while Renard Goes to Paradise is another tale in which Renard gets the better of Wolf, escaping from a well in the process. Renard and the Blue-Tit sees the trickster once again trying to convince his dinner to make it easy for him.

Finally, Renard and the Fatty Sausage was probably my favorite of the lot, involving a hilarious encounter between Renard and Cat, in which the feline (of course!) comes out on top. The scene involving the sausage "prayer" had me giggling helplessly: "Oh sausage," Renard wailed from below. "That's right," murmured Cat. "Blessed be its holy name. Honi soit qui mal y pense. That's Latin, you know. Sausage, sausage. Saying the word is like a prayer. Sausage, sausage. In the name of the sausage, the sausage, and the holy sausage, Amen."

Engaging, amusing, entertaining, Rachel Anderson and David Bradby's retelling of these tales is sure to please folklore enthusiasts everywhere, particularly those with a love of foxes. The accompanying illustrations by Bob Dewar, whether in color or black and white, capture the energy and humor of the stories. Vive Renart!… (meer)

Oh, the joys of reading wherein so much is learned from one small book!

Well written and insightful, the author provides vivid descriptions of Victorian England and a time when epilepsy was perceived as an affliction of the demonically possessed and of someone quite batty in the head and insane. This is the story of Albert who lived with his mother who loved him and tried her best to protect him.

With little available resources, she sought those who might help understand her son's condition. Alas, time and time again, quacks and charlatans provided no assistance.

When his mother dies Albert must find his way in the world and somehow make a living. When an unexpected meeting occurs, Albert gains knowledge he craves. Albert's life is forever changed by the author and artist Edward Lear.

Prior to reading this book, I never heard of Edward Lear who was severely affected by epilepsy. Despite incredible odds, Lear became a famous landscape painter and an author of limericks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lear… (meer)