Lady into Fox: Analysis of Major Characters
"Lady into Fox" is a fantastical narrative that explores the transformation of Silvia Fox Tebrick, a young woman who inexplicably turns into a vixen. The story revolves around her husband, Mr. Richard Tebrick, who grapples with the surreal reality of his wife’s metamorphosis and the ensuing challenges of their relationship. As Silvia shifts from human to fox, she retains some understanding of her husband, demonstrating a complex interplay between her former identity and her new instincts. Mr. Tebrick’s emotional struggles, including jealousy and madness, heighten the narrative’s tension, especially following a traumatic incident involving hunting dogs.
Supporting characters enrich the story, including Nanny Cork, Silvia's accepting nurse, and various members of the community who respond differently to the peculiar situation. The couple’s cubs, particularly Angelica, who resembles Silvia, create additional layers to the familial dynamics. The narrative raises questions about identity, love, and societal perceptions of madness, inviting readers to reflect on how relationships evolve under extraordinary circumstances. This unique blend of realism and fantasy provides a thought-provoking backdrop for examining the complexities of human emotion and connection.
Lady into Fox: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: David Garnett
First published: 1922
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Fantasy
Time: 1880
Mr. Richard Tebrick, a young Englishman who finds he has married a vixen. His worry over her and her cubs and his jealousy of her mate make him seem a madman not only to his neighbors but even occasionally to himself. When he and his wife are attacked by dogs who kill her, Mr. Tebrick loses his reason. He recovers, however, and lives many years.
Silvia Fox Tebrick, his wife, a beautiful country girl with hazel eyes, reddish-brown hair, and brownish, freckled skin who, in her twenty-third year, turns into a small, bright-red fox. Though she can no longer speak, she communicates by looks and signs, and she understands her husband as she did before. At first retaining in part her womanly nature, she gradually becomes more foxlike in eating and in other habits. When released, she disappears, mates with a dog-fox, and later lets her cubs play with their godfather, Mr. Tebrick.
Nanny Cork, Silvia's old nurse, who becomes the Tebricks' housekeeper. She accepts Silvia's transformation as if it were nothing unusual and continues her interest in Silvia's welfare.
Askew, a jockey hired by Mr. Tebrick to follow the fox hunts and report on the animals killed.
Sorel, Kaspar, Selwyn, Esther, and Angelica, Silvia's cubs. Angelica, who greatly resembles her mother, is Mr. Tebrick's favorite.
The Reverend Canon Fox, Silvia's uncle, a clergyman who visits Mr. Tebrick and thinks him insane.
James, the Tebrick gardener and groom.
Polly, Mrs. Cork's grandaughter, who enjoys playing with Mrs. Tebrick until the vixen leaves to seek a mate.
Simon, Mrs. Cork's son.