Fiction note: Watership Down
Grudgingly, I acknowledge being impressed with this 1972 Richard Adams tale of a troupe of rabbits. Looking past the floppy chapter-opening epigrams, the nibbles of contrived rabbit language, and the diminutive hop from rabbitdom to transcendent themes, three pieces gave me particular delight.
Adams imitates Tolkien and endows his rabbits with a full mythology, with deity, villains, and heroes. Storytelling thrives among his rabbits, who never tire of good re-tellings of favorite myths. Not only are the myths themselves brilliant, reinforcing faith in rabbits’ canny drive to survive, the myths balance and propel the troupe’s adventures.
Second, Ibn Fattouma-like, we encounter rabbit warrens with a variety of political structures. The Threara presides over a somewhat chaotic warren; Cowslip fosters arts, intellectualism, and detachment; General Woundwort runs a fascist warren; and of course Hazel is an enlightened leader.
Third, Hazel is an enlightened leader. From the book’s opening he instantaneously sizes people (er… rabbits) up, and decides what he can and can’t count on them for. The skill to consciously assemble a team-of-all-comers in this way– and maintain peace and cooperation among all– is rare and valuable. Adams’ craft shines bright in sharing what he gives to Hazel.
Between Wind in the Willows and Lord of the Flies, for children and adults, Watership Down certainly does transcend rabbitdom (though it need not have in order to be great).
