A collection of tales about children transforming into animals that fit their misdeeds, Vice in its Proper shape provides the blueprint for much of the cautionary tales genre we know through to today. Anthony Greedyguts turns into a pig, Jack Idle into a donkey, and Dorothy Chatterfast into a magpie!
All of these tales, as you might expect are grimly funny. Because this was written in the 1700s, there is no proper supernatural intervention in the children's fates. Instead they die of circumstances of their own making and the supernatural only intervenes afterwards to direct their souls into animal bodies.
Curiously despite the presence of souls or human-turned-animal souls, there is very little spirituality here. This is surprising as the 17th century world was deeply entrenched in several religions (for example Catholicism) and it is strange this book's subject matter did not jar with its era.
Despite being written by an unknown writer, Vice.... features some exquisite and funny turns of phrase and story. There are a lot of quirks, such as a sharp tongued liar of a girl being in snake form. This inventiveness makes up for the extremely "of the time" frame story (Family in India visits menagerie of animals. Has a lot of this trope sadly in it. Ugh.)
Overall, a good start to this genre, and essential for anyone interested in how certain tropes for these kinds of stories were made. Recommended for anyone looking for a more quirkier book of this type or with an interest in 1700s literature.
NOTES:
- The Librivox recording is probably the best way to read this (unless you regularly read obscure 1700s texts) as the wording of phrases can sometimes be slightly difficult.
- A more modern musical adaptation called Little Beasts was work-shopped in 2017. You can listen to some demos here (they're great!) Sadly no word on where next for this musical yet.
Refrences:
Issiah Thomas. (1789). Vice in its proper shape. Worcester, MA.
