The relationship among animal tales, exempla and bestiaries has been variously investigated, such as the influence of the Bestiary on the Roman de Renart. In this essay I will offer my contribution to this subject by suggesting the hypothesis of the presence of the story of the fox and the cock in the English Bestiary tradition. The examination of this topic, through a detailed analysis of a passage in the Middle English Bestiary [British Library, Arundel MS 292], will lead to the wider problem of the frequent intertwining of secular and religious works and of the important function this mutual influence has in the interpretation of medieval texts belonging to different genres. - [Author]

Language: English