Cabinet 17: Famously Anonymous Texts

Stories about the crafty fox Reynard circulated in France, Germany and the Low Countries for some time before being written down in the twelfth century. The stories are typically allegorical and present Reynard as a peasant-hero figure who makes fun of the aristocracy and the clergy. Although many later writers took up the Reynard stories, its origins and early authors are unknown. The collection here is a translation from Herman Schopper’s (1542- c.1595) Latin poems.

The Crafty Courtier: or the Fable of Reinard the Fox (London: John Nutt, 1706) de Beer Eb 1706 R