Household Tales · Chapter
First Story explained
An old fox feigns death to test his wife's fidelity.
What happens
An old fox feigns death to test his wife's fidelity. Mrs. Fox mourns in her room while her maid, Miss Cat, receives a series of suitors. Each wooer is rejected for having fewer than nine tails until one with nine tails appears. As the wedding is about to take place, the old fox springs up and drives out the intruders and his wife.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the sisters, driven by envy of the Queen’s beauty and their o…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Jealousy and Envy
The old fox's suspicion of his wife's fidelity drives the plot, highlighting jealousy as a catalyst for deception.
- Family Dynamics and Betrayal
The fox's feigned death tests loyalty within the marriage, revealing potential betrayal by Mrs. Fox.
Characters to notice
- old Mr. Fox
Feigns death to test his wife's faithfulness.
- Mrs. Fox
Mourns her husband's supposed death and considers remarrying a suitor with nine tails.
- Mrs. Cat of Kehrewit
Acts as the maid, cooking and relaying messages between Mrs. Fox and the suitors.
Key passages
“There was once on a time an old fox with nine tails, who believed that his wife was not faithful to him, and wished to try her.”
An old fox with nine tails suspected his wife of infidelity and decided to test her loyalty.
Sets up the central conflict of the story.
“But just as the wedding was going to be solemnized, old Mr. Fox stirred under the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs. Fox out of the house.”
At the moment the wedding was about to begin, the old fox revealed he was alive, beat the suitors, and expelled his wife from the house.
Climactic revelation and punishment for the wife's intended betrayal.
