Lady Into Fox [Hardcover]

David Garnett (Author), 1stWorld Library (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2006

Wonderful or supernatural events are not so uncommon, rather they are irregular in their incidence. Thus there may be not one marvel to speak of in a century, and then often enough comes a plentiful crop of them; monsters of all sorts swarm suddenly upon the earth, comets blaze in the sky, eclipses frighten nature, meteors fall in rain, while mermaids and sirens beguile, and sea-serpents engulf every passing ship, and terrible cataclysms beset humanity. But the strange event which I shall here relate came alone, unsupported, without companions into a hostile world, and for that very reason claimed little of the general attention of mankind. For the sudden changing of Mrs. Tebrick into a vixen is an established fact which we may attempt to account for as we will. Certainly it is in the explanation of the fact, and the reconciling of it with our general notions that we shall find most difficulty, and not in accepting for true a story which is so fully proved, and that not by one witness but by a dozen, all respectable, and with no possibility of collusion between them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Garnett (1892–1981) was a prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group. He is best known as the author of Aspects of Love, the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s international hit musical of the same name.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: 1st World Library - Literary Society (February 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421809214
• ISBN-13: 978-1421809212
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly unique and enthusiastically recommended, May 14, 2007

By 

D. A Flory (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady into Fox (Collins Library) (Hardcover)

This book is astonishing, and I do not believe I've ever read anything quite like it.

By some strange accident, Mr. Tebrick's beloved wife is transformed into a fox, yet with her intelligence and personality intact. Garnett depicts the reactions of husband and wife to this event with incredible psychological depth and realism. The husband is beside himself, but is primarily concerned for his wife's safety, shooting his furious dogs and sending away the servants. His wife is heartbroken, and desperately tries to avoid walking on all fours or appearing unclothed, and the couple attempt to live their lives as normally as possible; the husband plays waltzes for his vixen, they take tea together, and even play cards!

As time passes, Mrs. Tebrick becomes more at home in the body and mind of a fox, and her husband's whole concept of the boundaries between man and nature is repeatedly shattered as his beloved wife devours her pet dove, runs and plays like a normal fox, and yearns to kiss him with her muzzle still stained with blood from a "savagely" killed small animal.

Mr. Tebrick is trapped in an excruciating tug of war between the world of men and nature as he confronts his wife's "adultery" and "bestiality" with a dog-fox, yet finds his greatest happiness in playing with his wife's kits, and his wife, who delights in his company and his attention to her offspring, even though she now prefers to chew playing cards rather than use then in human fashion.

Sadly, Mr. Tebrick's unshakable love for his wife and his litter of godchildren causes even greater suffering, since as a human he is hideously aware of the dangers that await his family during the coming hunting season, and how tenuous their short moments of happiness are.

Truly a remarkable study of the close kinship we have with animals, and the ways our abstract intelligence and imagination will always keep us at a distance from their world. It is also an incredibly moving love story.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and enchanting..., August 17, 2004

By 

J. B. Erickson (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lady into Fox (Collins Library) (Hardcover)

Lady Into Fox, by David Garnett, harkens back to the early Twentieth Century when book covers (one of the best things about this book) were deliciously simple and the real treat was contained in the pagese between them. Also enchanting are the wood engravings that illustrate the book. Originally published in 1922 and out of print since 1966, McSweeney's brings this classic tale of transformation and unrecognizable self back to the forefront of literature. This opulent tale will surely be talked about and enjoyed for years to come. This is a great gift.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant distraction., January 24, 2011

By 

theGsayeth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady into Fox (Kindle Edition)

So I just stumbled upon this bizarre and delightful work: Lady into Fox by David Garnett (available for free at Project Guttenburg), written in 1922 and it's exactly what the title would have you believe, a story about a lady who is transformed into a fox. It's a short read and I finished the novel (novella?) in a day. The love that the married couple has for each other despite the difficult situation they find themselves in is something to behold, but I can't help but notice the somewhat antiquated ideals about marriage and gender that are emphasized in a book about a female who is turned into an animal. Especially when there are passages like this peppered throughout the story:

"Now he had many little things which busied him in the house- getting his meals, setting the room straight, making the bed and so forth. When he was doing this housework it was comical to watch his vixen. Often she was as it were beside herself with vexation and distress to see him in his clumsy way doing what she could have done so much better had she been able to. Then, forgetful of the decency and the decorum which she had at first imposed upon herself never to run upon all fours, she followed him everywhere, and if he did one thing wrong she stopped him and showed him the way of it. When he had forgot the hour for his meal she would come and tug his sleeve and tell him as if she spoke: "Husband, are we to have no luncheon to-day?" This womanliness in her never failed to delight him, for it showed she was still his wife, buried as it were in the carcase of a beast but with a woman's soul."

As you can see there are some definite social assumptions about the place of men and women and their role in society. I guess one could argue this about most any novel, but it is interesting to reflect on the social attitudes that were being espoused during the time of this book's release, it's just that much more apparent because of how long ago this book was written.

It's not all gender and sexual commentary though. As I said earlier, there is a bittersweet relationship at the heart of this story, the devotion that a man has for his wife. And the struggle of a woman fighting to retain her humanity in a beast form.