In defense of rabbits: Watership Down has come under attack. Now Heidi Bond has leaped to its defense, but it really bears pointing out that Watership Down is not only a rip roaring good read that should change your opinion of rabbits as creatures forever (it is quite well researched; do check out The Private Life of the Rabbit for supporting evidence of the warlike tendencies of bunnies), it is also an artful retelling of the founding of Rome. A group of refugees, fleeing the destruction of their city and led by prophesies, encounter many strange adventures before arriving in a new country. Their lack of women forces them to conduct a raid on a neighboring city, er, warren, and bring back brides, culminating in the establishment of a great city on a hill. Sounds pretty familiar to me . . .
(My housemate demands that he be credited as the source of the Watership as Roman retelling theory. Very well.)
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