''Lady into Fox'' was

David Garnett David Garnett (9 March 1892 – 17 February 1981) was an English writer and publisher. As a child, he had a cloak made of rabbit skin and thus received the nickname "Bunny", by which he was known to friends and intimates all his life. Early ...

's first novel using his own name, published in 1922. This short and enigmatic work won the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...

, and the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...

a year later. Being a work of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

set in the present-day society, it fits into the category of

Contemporary Fantasy Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy, set in the present day or, more accurately, the time period of the maker. It is perhaps most popular for its subgenre, urban fantasy. Strictly, supernatural fiction c ...

which was not yet recognized as a distinct genre at the time of writing.

Plot summary

Silvia Tebrick, the 24-year-old wife of Richard Tebrick, suddenly becomes a

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

while they are out walking in the woods. Mr. Tebrick sends away all the servants in an attempt to keep Silvia's new nature a secret, although Silvia's childhood nurse returns. While Silvia initially acts human, insisting on wearing clothing and playing

piquet Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...

, her behaviour increasingly becomes that characteristic of a vixen, causing the husband a great deal of anguish. Eventually, Mr. Tebrick releases Silvia into the wild, where she gives birth to five kits, whom Tebrick names and plays with every day. Despite Tebrick's efforts to protect Silvia and her cubs, she is ultimately killed by dogs during a

fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hou ...

; Tebrick, who tried to save Silvia from the dogs, is badly wounded, but eventually recovers.

McSweeney's McSweeney's Publishing is an American non-profit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. Initially publishing the literary journal'' Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', the company has moved to ...

Collins Library imprint republished ''Lady into Fox'' in 2004.

Reception and influence

Rebecca West Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...

described ''Lady Into Fox'' as one of the "best imaginative productions" of the decade. The success of the novel resulted in several imitations. They included a parody by Christopher Ward (1868-1943) ''Gentleman Into Goose'' (1924), while Vercors' homage ''Sylva'' (1961), depicts a fox transforming into a woman.

Adaptation

In 1939, British choreographer

Andrée Howard Andrée Howard (3 October 1910 – 18 April 1968), originally Andrea, was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. She created over 30 ballets, of which almost nothing remains. Early life Andrée Howard was born in London on 3 October 1910. ...

created a musical work of the same name based on Garnett's book for Ballet Rambert.

Sally Gilmour Sarah Gilmour (2 November 1921 – 23 May 2004), was a British ballet dancer, and Ballet Rambert's "leading ballerina of the 1940s". The ''ODNB'' notes that she was "acclaimed in the 1940s as second only to Margot Fonteyn among British bal ...

dancing Silvia Tebrick assured the ballet's success. The music was an arrangement of piano pieces by

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...

(''Sept pièces brèves'' and ''Toccata et variations''), setting and costumes designed by

Nadia Benois Nadezhda Leontievna Ustinova (russian: Надежда Леонтьевна Устинова; 27 April 18968 December 1975), née ''Benois'' (Бенуа), better known as Nadia Benois, was a Russian-born painter of still lifes and landscapes, and ...

.Deryck Lynham: ''Ballet Then and Now - A History of the Ballet in Europe'' (Sylvan Press, 1946) - p.154

References

External links

* * * 1922 British novels British fantasy novels Chatto & Windus books Hawthornden Prize-winning works Novels by David Garnett Books about foxes Fiction about shapeshifting {{1920s-fantasy-novel-stub