Jasper Fforde’s Rabxit

Allegory and Satire as Weapons of Mass Instruction

Abstract

In his allegorical tale, The Constant Rabbit (2020), Jasper Fforde highlights the detrimental effects of Brexit on social cohesion and human relationships. Set in a quintessentially English village, the story follows a family of anthropomorphic rabbits that suddenly become the target of ‘leporiphobic’ intolerance. However, as the story is told from the perspective “of the discriminators rather than the discriminatees” (Harper-Fforde 2020), it forces readers to see their own prejudices and complicity reflected in the mirror of satire, encouraging them to imagine ways to effect positive change. Assuming that literature can “play a crucial role in our thought about how we live as individuals and as communities” (Eaglestone 2018), the novel uses the empathetic power of narrative and the educational potential of allegory and satire to promote more ethical and altruistic citizenship.