Throughout the history of story-telling, the fox has been represented in an anthropomorphic way not only in early tales, mythologies, fables and oral stories, but also in contemporary literature and movies. The focus has often been directed at how its behavioural attributes are to some extent similar to human characteristics, both positively and negatively. Even in today’s popular culture, the fox is often used in an anthropomorphic way by giving him human characteristics, like
intelligence and cunning. This literary treatment stands in contrast to his natural animalistic behaviour as a predator, for which the fox is still negatively connoted.
The relationship between a human and a fox, a wild and non-domesticated animal, is certainly different from a relationship among human beings, or a human and a pet dog,
or between a fox and a rabbit. However, the desire to maintain a closer relationship, even friendship, with wild non-human animals has increased over the last years and is
being addressed in environmental and animal studies as well as in ecocriticism and literature.
In her award-winning short story, "Mrs Fox" (2013), Sarah Hall explores how the relationship between a husband and his wife changes when she transmogrifies into a fox in “an act of will” (Hall 2013: 62). Hall focuses on the point of view of the husband and how he struggles to accept the reality of his beloved wife having transformed into a vixen. The following paper will look at how "Mrs Fox" challenges anthropomorphism by applying animal characteristics to the female main character by physically turning her into a fox rather than applying human characteristics to an animal.
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION
II. MRS FOX
2.1 SUMMARY AND SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS
2.2 CHALLENGING ANTHROPOMORPHISM
2.2.1 TRANSMOGRIFICATION
2.2.2 HUMAN – ANIMAL RELATIONSHIP
2.2.3 RE-VALUING OTHER SPECIES
III. CONCLUSION
Objectives & Core Themes
This paper examines how Sarah Hall's short story Mrs Fox critically engages with anthropomorphism by depicting the physical transformation of a woman into a fox. The research explores the shift from a human-centered perspective to an ecological awareness, challenging traditional human-animal hierarchies.
- Analysis of literary genre conventions in Sarah Hall's Mrs Fox.
- Deconstruction of anthropomorphic projections in contemporary narratives.
- Examination of the human-animal relationship through the lens of transmogrification.
- Re-valuation of non-human species and the ethics of interspecies co-existence.
- Critique of human superiority and the environmental impacts of urban expansion.
Excerpt from the Book
The physical change of Sophia into a fox
The final step of Sophia’s transmogrification is her physical change as she walks faster and starts to run after a jay which was flying nearby. The husband calls after her. When he catches up, he notices that something is different:
The bones have been recarved. Her lips are thin and her nose is dark blade. Teeth small and yellow. The lashes of her hazel eyes have thickened and her brows are drawn together, an expression he has never seen, a look that is almost craven. (ibid. 54)
Here, Sarah Hall starts to confront her readers with a new way of anthropomorphic thinking. The beginning of the transmogrification applies animalistic characteristics to a human and, therefore, changing Sophia’s physical appearance. The husband is confused and thinks that the morning light plays tricks with his mind. But the transmogrification is not finished yet, and Sophia is still in a process of change:
She has stepped out of her laced boots and is walking away. Now she is running again, on all fours, lower to earth, sleeker, fleeter. She is […] running in the light of the reddening sun, the read of her hair and her coat falling, the red of her fur and her body loosening. […] Holding behind her a sudden, brazen object, white-tipped. Her yellow scarf trails in the briar. All vestiges shed. […] She looks over her shoulder. Topaz eyes glinting. Scorched face. Vixen. (ibid. 55)
Summary of Chapters
I. INTRODUCTION: This chapter contextualizes the prevalence of anthropomorphic representations of foxes in literature and media while introducing the scope of the study regarding Sarah Hall's Mrs Fox.
II. MRS FOX: This chapter explores the plot, genre characteristics, and the thematic rejection of anthropomorphism through the central act of transmogrification and the evolving relationship between the human husband and his transformed wife.
2.1 SUMMARY AND SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS: This section provides an overview of the narrative structure and the genre-specific elements utilized by Hall to present the transformation of the main character.
2.2 CHALLENGING ANTHROPOMORPHISM: This section theoretically critiques the tendency to project human traits onto animals and introduces the necessity of perceiving animals in their own biological reality.
2.2.1 TRANSMOGRIFICATION: This section analyzes the stages of Sophia's physical change into a fox as a narrative device to dismantle traditional anthropomorphic tropes.
2.2.2 HUMAN – ANIMAL RELATIONSHIP: This section examines the ethical complications and failures of attempting to treat a wild animal, such as the vixen, as a domesticated pet.
2.2.3 RE-VALUING OTHER SPECIES: This section investigates the broader ecological implications, focusing on the husband's shift in perspective toward recognizing the inherent value of non-human species.
III. CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming how the short story successfully challenges anthropocentrism and advocates for a more ethical, non-exploitative understanding of human-animal relations.
Keywords
Anthropomorphism, Sarah Hall, Mrs Fox, Transmogrification, Ecocriticism, Human-Animal Relationship, Interspecies, Literature, Animal Studies, Urbanization, Predator, Nature, Ethics, Fiction, Transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on Sarah Hall's short story Mrs Fox and how it challenges traditional anthropomorphic depictions of animals in literature.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how the physical transmogrification of the female protagonist into a fox forces a shift in the husband's perspective, moving from a human-centered to an ecologically-aware worldview.
Which key thematic areas are addressed?
The analysis covers human-animal relationships, the ethics of species coexistence, the critique of urbanization, and the rejection of human superiority over nature.
What methodology does the author apply?
The work utilizes a literary analysis approach, drawing on ecocriticism and animal studies to interpret the narrative actions and character development within the short story.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body breaks down the transmogrification process, the problematic nature of treating wild animals as pets, and the final re-valuation of non-human species by the narrator.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Core keywords include Anthropomorphism, Transmogrification, Ecocriticism, Interspecies relations, and Animal studies.
How does the story use the act of transmogrification?
Hall uses it as a literal device to strip away human projections, forcing the husband to engage with his wife as a wild animal rather than a domestic companion.
How does the narrator's attitude toward the vixen evolve?
Initially, he struggles to accept her transformation and attempts to treat her as a pet, but he eventually learns to respect her wild nature and finds meaning in his role as a mere observer.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Gahler (Author), 2016, Challenging Anthropomorphism in Sarah Hall's "Mrs Fox", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/337819
