Before Caxton’s History of Reynard the Fox, a translation he made from the Dutch and published in Westminster in 1481, we know of only two narrative poems which feature the fox and which are related, though distantly, to the Continental Beast Epic. They are The Fox and the Wolf, (anonymous, 259 lines, c.1260) and The Nun’s Priest’s Tale of the Cok and the Fox (Chaucer, 695 lines, c.1390). ... In England, Caxton’s 1481 text remained largely the same for just over a century, during which time it was frequently reprinted. ... During the seventeenth century, the History of Reynard the Fox underwent quite a few changes as its popularity grew and it entered a period in which good literature was, more than in the preceding century, expected to be morally profitable, as well as entertaining.

Language: English

ISBN: 1-57181-737-9