Fox thoughts

Wednesday 15th Jun 2011
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A man I used to like once told me he was still in love with everyone he’d ever loved. I didn’t comment, but that remark enraged me to the bone. Nothing so straightforward as jealousy, it was more of an ideological thing, I think. A romantic totalitarianism that would, in my case, be dropped at the first hint of actual violence. However, bear with me; if true faithfulness in love requires the renunciation of former partners, isn’t it simply a very strict kind of fidelity, to put all old loves out of the world altogether?

Cast in this light, the old fairy tale villain Bluebeard --the French counterpart to the English Mr Fox--almost becomes a rational figure. One could deconstruct and reassemble his story for hundreds of years (and we have been). Rule number twenty of Andreas Cappelanus’ Rules for Lovers states: A man in love is always apprehensive. And whatever else Bluebeard is, he’s certainly apprehensive. Every time he gets married he has to prepare himself to murder a wife who will inevitably become hysterical once she realizes the extent of his faithfulness. One wonders what would come of an alliance between Bluebeard and Snow White’s stepmother. Surely Snow White’s stepmother is the only woman in any world, real or imagined, who could look into Bluebeard’s bloody chamber and smile with appreciation. For him I am truly the fairest of them all, she would tell herself.

So much for that great love. Perhaps the best match for Bluebeard, the best way to contain his ‘apprehensiveness’, is a woman who is both his friend and adversary. Someone who sees his wickedness and reproaches him for it – but at the same time, this someone sees his uncertainty as proof of his potential goodness.  And so I devised Mary Foxe. In this book, Mary proposes that she and Mr Fox play a game in which they write themselves into love stories, taking different roles, seeking and finding and losing each other in different ways. Mr Fox agrees, but only because he’s sure he’s going to win.

But it isn’t that simple. Mary is imaginary, and Mr Fox is married to Daphne, a bored and intelligent woman who jumps into the game with both feet. The nine stories they create form a debate about the elusiveness of romance and its slanted promises—the anxieties at the heart of every fairy tale. They’re essentially an argument between a man, his wife, and the feminine aspect of his psyche. Ultimately the only way to handle their fearful connection is to trust each other. To borrow a line from the original fairytale, the Foxes must be bold, be bold, but not too bold.

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ljspillane
ljspillane posted a comment
Tuesday 21st Jun 2011 02:56
I bought Mr Fox on Saturday, although I haven't started it yet. I thoroughly enjoyed White is for Witching and Icarus Girl, so I'm looking forward to reading this work.

I find the first part of this idea interesting. As we systematically forget our past romances, how might we feel about simultaneously being dead to past loves?
I'm also intrigued by the idea of relationships as a game, a game which Mr Fox believes he will win.

I think this book is going to be very good.
 
helen-minus
helen-minus posted a comment
Wednesday 22nd Jun 2011 03:54
o, thank you, L.J -
very glad you liked TIG and white is for witching. and i hope fun is had with mr f...
re: being dead to past loves, i quite like the idea of being able to unmake things with just as much intensity as they were made. there's that brilliant graham greene short story where a gang of boys dismantle a beautiful old house brick by brick because they can, because 'destruction is in itself an act of creation'. impossible to apply relationship-wise, i suppose. hmph.
h
 
ljspillane
ljspillane replied
Monday 8th Aug 2011 01:12
Hey H, I also like The Destructors - and it reminds me of the film Donnie Darko now, as Donnie becomes as anarchic as the gang of boys he reads about in his English class.

Relationship-wise, I think you have a point, we can take apart a relationship as easily as we make it.

You'll have to forgive me, I'm a painfully slow reader. I also tend to read with a pencil (which slows me down) and I have six other books on the go at one time, but I'm enjoying Mr Fox and would like to discuss more if you're around on here. Cracking stuff!

L.J
 
georgemcking
georgemcking posted a comment
Sunday 2nd Oct 2011 08:23
The review on NPR was excellent.

I cannot wait to buy this book
 
Muse
Muse posted a comment
Monday 28th Nov 2011 09:36
I have to say that I fell in love with this book almost from the first page, always loving these kind of stories linked to animals and animal transformations. Plus, a real soft spot for foxes and so that last story just brought me to joyful tears.

It was so playful and yet with depth and exquisite prose. Magical realism is such a rich genre. I also obtained its audio version and for the last week have listened to it on my MP3 player tucked under my pillow before sleep. Carole Boyd does such a wonderful job with the various voices and accents.

Anyway, just writing up for my book blog (and will cross-post to Amazon and Goodreads).
 
helen-minus
helen-minus posted a comment
Friday 2nd Dec 2011 04:41
ljspillane - very pleasing to hear that you were getting along alright with mr fox - hope you challenged him with pencils and underlined quotes from other books.
thank you, georgemcking, and a happy december to you.
Muse - many thanks to you for reading and listening to it in just the way that you did. really, very many thanks. i haven't heard all of the audiobook yet, but i love Carole Boyd's reading of the first story, 'dr lustucru' - it's perfect.
 

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