Following the story "The Ghost Bite", "Catching the Fox" is also a tale of a nightmare.
The difference is that while "The Ghost Bite" tells a story of a ghost in a nightmare, "Catching the Fox" involves a fox in the nightmare.
In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the struggles between humans and spirits or foxes are often depicted differently. From a human perspective, ghosts are linked to death and hold the advantage, as people are often afraid of ghosts. When they fight, they rely on their courage. In contrast, when humans face foxes, seen as "the most intelligent of all creatures," there is a sense of superiority, which allows humans to despise and toy with the foxes. Victory in these battles tends to depend more on wisdom. Compared to "The Ghost Bite", "Catching the Fox" is clearly a much lighter, even somewhat playful story, with a writing style that is nimble and free-spirited. The depiction of the fox shrinking its belly "as thin as a tube" and then puffing it up "as thick as a bowl", and how the belt later "hung in the hand like an empty ring" after the fox escaped, is filled with witty and lighthearted humor, bringing a smile to the reader’s face.
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