https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1 Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi en-us 2022-05-12 16:05:15 UTC 2022-05-25 05:25:53 UTC hello@padlet.com choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2181577808 This biographical article goes into the life of Helen Oyeyemi. She was born in Nigeria, but grew up in South London. Oyeyemi talks about her childhood and her love for writing beginning when she rewrote the endings of classic novels. In the article she said that Louisa May Alcott's Little Women inspired her to become a writer. She wrote her first book at 18, instead of reaching for A-levels in school. She is now living in Prague, continuing to write. Oyeyemi feels that "feelings are forces. They cause us to time travel. And to leave ourselves, to leave our bodies." She believes in magic and monsters, which is very prevalent in her novels. ]]> 2022-05-12 16:34:15 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2181577808 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2181579490 2022-05-12 16:35:17 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2181579490 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182210571 Written two years after the release of Mr. Fox in 2014, this article dives into setting and time of the novel. The author, Heidi Yeandle, gives an in-depth explanation of the story, and how it relates to the 17th French folktale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault. Yeandle explains that this version, set in the 1930s, depicts the main character as a literary Bluebeard. “Oyeyemi’s adaptation, though, re-imagines the relationship between Bluebeard’s wives, depicting a ghostly sisterhood between Daphne Fox and Mary Foxe, the real and imaginary wives of the eponymous St John Fox, Oyeyemi’s version of Bluebeard," (Yeandle). The author continues to analyze the fascinating display of multiple storylines conveying the warped sense of reality Mr. Fox discovers when communicating with Mary. Yeandle does an amazing job of explaining the complex and intricate plot. ]]> 2022-05-13 02:17:52 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182210571 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182229658 This is a podcast in which Helen Oyeyemi speaks to Ted Hodgkinson about the amusement of writing from a male perspective, the role of magic in her work, some of her many influences and how as a young girl she used to rewrite the endings of classic novels. When considering how magical realism and perspective factors into her work, it was imperative to listen to her own explanations. ]]> 2022-05-13 02:34:18 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182229658 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182229927 This is cover art for the album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by artist Neko Case. I think this artwork perfectly encapsulates the themes of the novel. There is a fox holding the head of a woman, with many others around him. There is also a woman holding a head and gesturing out to the fox. I believe this symbolizes the relationship between all of the characters. Mr. Fox struggles with the ability to keep female characters alive in his stories, while also struggling to keep his marriage with his real wife afloat. This piece of art captures those problems obviously, while also portraying the obscurity of the narrative. ]]> 2022-05-13 02:34:34 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182229927 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182230304 Wolf, by Carina Bissett, mirrors the writing seen in Mr. Fox. It hides a complex message through a classic fairytale, much like Helen Oyeyemi does with her novels. A grim retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, this poem symbolizes strong desire, "I can't bear the torment, the bliss, the fear of your savage secrets. I love you so. I'll gobble you up." This is a perfect example of the magical realism readers experience when reading Oyeyemi's stories.

]]> 2022-05-13 02:34:57 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182230304 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182231287 Bluebeard, by Charles Perrault, is a 17th century french folktale. In this story, Bluebeard is a wealthy man of rank who, soon after his marriage, goes away, leaving his wife the keys to all the doors in his castle. Although he forbids her to open one of them. She disobeys and finds in the locked room the bodies of his former wives. On his return, Bluebeard discovers on one of the keys a spot of blood and threatens to cut off her head as a punishment for disobedience. The wife is saved by her brothers just as Bluebeard is about to strike the final blow. Helen Oyeyemi heavily based her main character Mr. Fox on this folktale. It is important to note this piece when diving into the characters and situations that occur in Oyeyemi's narrative. 

]]> 2022-05-13 02:35:54 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182231287 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182231405 The Art of Courtly Love is a book by Andreas Capellanus, in which he explains the social system of 'courtly love'. Written during the 12th century, this work may be viewed as didactic, mocking, or merely descriptive. It preserves the attitudes and practices that were the foundation of a long and significant tradition in English literature. Helen Oyeyemi used in her novel to display a strained relationship so desperately trying to follow these strict rules. She notes in the novel, "rule of particular interest to Daphne Fox, Mary Foxe, and St. John Fox have been highlighted by those persons in the order mentioned," (277). She uses these regulations to depict the unconventional entwined relationship the three main characters share.

]]> 2022-05-13 02:36:01 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2182231405 choffman2022 https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2196819280 2022-05-24 02:17:28 UTC https://padlet.com/choffman2022/u02ov948j5gn1la1/wish/2196819280