Review by Dita Skalic -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler
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Dita Skalic
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Review by Dita Skalic -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fox" by M. N. J. Butler.]
3 out of 4 stars
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This story follows life of Leotychides and a tumultuous time in history of Sparta. Leotychides’s status as a hereditary king remains disputed, as he was born to a queen out of wedlock, and even his own opinion on that issue is complex; much like the whole ancient city of Sparta, whose people seem to be proud of their heritage and reject it at the same time. All this ends in loss of power for Sparta, death penalty for some good people we get to know in the story and exile for Leotychides, the narrator. The story is based on real events, and so we could say it is a historical novel, but it is not just that: it provokes thinking about timeless facts of human nature and society.
For example, it deals with what happens when someone is given power. When Leotychides lives in a flock, a community of young male Spartiates, there are friendships, romantic relationships and respect for each other, but older boys also enjoy ordering younger ones around, which is their right, and especially when they turn twelve years old and get new privileges, they use them just for fun. This love of power appears again in a more dangerous way when Agisilaos becomes King and starts misusing his power. Leotychides mockingly calls him Agamemnon since he seems to try to emulate the famous king, not because Agamemnon was so good for his people but because Agisilaos wants the same glory for himself.
Disputes over kingship lead to another fact that has been true throughout human history: divide et impera, divide and conquer. Many Spartans believe that their city is strong because they have no political parties and Hellas is in danger when its cities start a war while their army is in Asia, fighting Persia. But even Sparta is becoming less unified. When one of the kings is dying and wants Leotychides to succeed him, he tells him not to let the city divide, but this is exactly what is about to happen due to his recognising Leotychides as his heir. Some people do not agree with that and the young prince decides that giving up his right to kingship is the only way to keep the city united.
Like many modern societies, Sparta also deteriorates because people are promoted based on personal friendship with King Agisilaos rather than abilities and character. This leads to one of the saddest parts of the story, where many soldiers are killed after leaders give a stupid order, and the warriors know how dangerous it is, but they obey it as this is one of the most appreciates values in Sparta, and they have been trained to obey since childhood. Leotychides loses his lover in the incident and concludes that incompetent people were in command of soldiers that do not know how to disobey. This is the only moment in the book when he expresses doubt that obedience is such a great virtue.
This is part of what makes me uncomfortable about the book: it emphasizes good things that obedience, forced mingling and rigorous training can bring while downplaying all the suffering. From The Fox, one gets an impression that life in Sparta was more pleasant than other sources say, and it probably cannot be that nice (for most people) to live in any militaristic society.
That is not to say that Leotychides is never disillusioned about his beloved community: he notices that it is becoming more materialistic and less egalitarian, and while he used to think that he can earn respect by achieving excellence in sports, it turns out that he will never get rid of his stigma as a bastard. Like many other young soldiers, he learns in his first wars that going on a campaign is more about missing home and losing loved ones than about adventure in new places.
Otherwise, the content is good; the main bad points of the book have to do with editing, especially punctuation marks. In many places, quotation marks are missing either in the beginning or at the end of a quote, or are in the wrong places, so it is hard to find out what is being said and what is just the narrator’s comment.
Apart from the interesting, thought-provoking story, I like it that there are many short, beautiful descriptions of natural world throughout the book. Internal states are also depicted in an appealing way, especially when Leotychides is suffering most. Furthermore, I admired some clever critical comments, like Leotychides noticing that people who love books most do not read them, or that “democracy” in Athens actually means rule of mercantile party.
What is also interesting is that there are many digressions in the beginning, contrary to the Spartan habit of expressing everything concisely (“Laconian speech”). I have no idea if the author wanted to convey that, but it seems to show that years of living in other lands have changed Leotychides - against his wishes, as is obvious when he makes fools of Macedonians’ exuberance. There are also many sentences that are labelled to be deleted, some of them because the scribe (to whom Leotychides narrates a part of the story) took orders to write down everything too literally. Of course, this is not the author’s or a helper’s mistake; sentences that should not be there are really meant to be included, and I find it a good idea; not only is the scribe’s literal understanding quite amusing, but it also contributes to the impression that the story was really written or narrated by Leotychides, in a time when there were no computers, making deleting harder than just hitting a button.
Since many social norms of ancient Sparta are different from those of modern Europe or America, it is admirable how well the author, M. N. J. Butler, included them in the story and made them come alive. One feels as if living with people who still believe those things, rather than reading an account of what people used to think. And again, you can start questioning the norms you are more used to. Are people around you too protective towards their youth? Could your community use some measures to encourage people to feel equal and stop flaunting wealth? And then, there is perhaps the most provocative statement in the whole book: a dress is said to be “honest booty”, not something bought. Most people today would say buying clothes is better than stealing them from civilians while warring against their city, but is it not equally weird that it is considered alright to work too much, harming your health and depriving others of your company, or lie to your voters or employer, just to get a title, as long as you do not buy it with money?
The book deserves a good rating for those reasons but errors do decrease it a bit, so I give it three stars out of four.
Why is the story titled The Fox? The animal appears in a story that illustrates what Spartans should be like, but what exactly she or he symbolizes must probably remain a secret, just like the fox had to be hidden at all costs. You will find out if you read the book, which I recommend if you are interested in history or sociology. On the other hand, if you prefer easy reading with fewer persons and more familiar settings, the book might not appeal to you, and some readers will find certain passages too sad and violent.
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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This story follows life of Leotychides and a tumultuous time in history of Sparta. Leotychides’s status as a hereditary king remains disputed, as he was born to a queen out of wedlock, and even his own opinion on that issue is complex; much like the whole ancient city of Sparta, whose people seem to be proud of their heritage and reject it at the same time. All this ends in loss of power for Sparta, death penalty for some good people we get to know in the story and exile for Leotychides, the narrator. The story is based on real events, and so we could say it is a historical novel, but it is not just that: it provokes thinking about timeless facts of human nature and society.
For example, it deals with what happens when someone is given power. When Leotychides lives in a flock, a community of young male Spartiates, there are friendships, romantic relationships and respect for each other, but older boys also enjoy ordering younger ones around, which is their right, and especially when they turn twelve years old and get new privileges, they use them just for fun. This love of power appears again in a more dangerous way when Agisilaos becomes King and starts misusing his power. Leotychides mockingly calls him Agamemnon since he seems to try to emulate the famous king, not because Agamemnon was so good for his people but because Agisilaos wants the same glory for himself.
Disputes over kingship lead to another fact that has been true throughout human history: divide et impera, divide and conquer. Many Spartans believe that their city is strong because they have no political parties and Hellas is in danger when its cities start a war while their army is in Asia, fighting Persia. But even Sparta is becoming less unified. When one of the kings is dying and wants Leotychides to succeed him, he tells him not to let the city divide, but this is exactly what is about to happen due to his recognising Leotychides as his heir. Some people do not agree with that and the young prince decides that giving up his right to kingship is the only way to keep the city united.
Like many modern societies, Sparta also deteriorates because people are promoted based on personal friendship with King Agisilaos rather than abilities and character. This leads to one of the saddest parts of the story, where many soldiers are killed after leaders give a stupid order, and the warriors know how dangerous it is, but they obey it as this is one of the most appreciates values in Sparta, and they have been trained to obey since childhood. Leotychides loses his lover in the incident and concludes that incompetent people were in command of soldiers that do not know how to disobey. This is the only moment in the book when he expresses doubt that obedience is such a great virtue.
This is part of what makes me uncomfortable about the book: it emphasizes good things that obedience, forced mingling and rigorous training can bring while downplaying all the suffering. From The Fox, one gets an impression that life in Sparta was more pleasant than other sources say, and it probably cannot be that nice (for most people) to live in any militaristic society.
That is not to say that Leotychides is never disillusioned about his beloved community: he notices that it is becoming more materialistic and less egalitarian, and while he used to think that he can earn respect by achieving excellence in sports, it turns out that he will never get rid of his stigma as a bastard. Like many other young soldiers, he learns in his first wars that going on a campaign is more about missing home and losing loved ones than about adventure in new places.
Otherwise, the content is good; the main bad points of the book have to do with editing, especially punctuation marks. In many places, quotation marks are missing either in the beginning or at the end of a quote, or are in the wrong places, so it is hard to find out what is being said and what is just the narrator’s comment.
Apart from the interesting, thought-provoking story, I like it that there are many short, beautiful descriptions of natural world throughout the book. Internal states are also depicted in an appealing way, especially when Leotychides is suffering most. Furthermore, I admired some clever critical comments, like Leotychides noticing that people who love books most do not read them, or that “democracy” in Athens actually means rule of mercantile party.
What is also interesting is that there are many digressions in the beginning, contrary to the Spartan habit of expressing everything concisely (“Laconian speech”). I have no idea if the author wanted to convey that, but it seems to show that years of living in other lands have changed Leotychides - against his wishes, as is obvious when he makes fools of Macedonians’ exuberance. There are also many sentences that are labelled to be deleted, some of them because the scribe (to whom Leotychides narrates a part of the story) took orders to write down everything too literally. Of course, this is not the author’s or a helper’s mistake; sentences that should not be there are really meant to be included, and I find it a good idea; not only is the scribe’s literal understanding quite amusing, but it also contributes to the impression that the story was really written or narrated by Leotychides, in a time when there were no computers, making deleting harder than just hitting a button.
Since many social norms of ancient Sparta are different from those of modern Europe or America, it is admirable how well the author, M. N. J. Butler, included them in the story and made them come alive. One feels as if living with people who still believe those things, rather than reading an account of what people used to think. And again, you can start questioning the norms you are more used to. Are people around you too protective towards their youth? Could your community use some measures to encourage people to feel equal and stop flaunting wealth? And then, there is perhaps the most provocative statement in the whole book: a dress is said to be “honest booty”, not something bought. Most people today would say buying clothes is better than stealing them from civilians while warring against their city, but is it not equally weird that it is considered alright to work too much, harming your health and depriving others of your company, or lie to your voters or employer, just to get a title, as long as you do not buy it with money?
The book deserves a good rating for those reasons but errors do decrease it a bit, so I give it three stars out of four.
Why is the story titled The Fox? The animal appears in a story that illustrates what Spartans should be like, but what exactly she or he symbolizes must probably remain a secret, just like the fox had to be hidden at all costs. You will find out if you read the book, which I recommend if you are interested in history or sociology. On the other hand, if you prefer easy reading with fewer persons and more familiar settings, the book might not appeal to you, and some readers will find certain passages too sad and violent.
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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