The name of the web-footed female character in this lovely novel is also a poetic form, based in French tradition.

I first read this novel as an undergraduate, and during our study of the novel we also engaged with villanelles from throughout English and French tradition, eventually composing our own poems as a part of one of our many writing assignments. I know that the work we did with villanelles in class helped me to look at and understand the beauty of Winterson’s prose in a new way, I would recommend the same to anyone who plans on reading this book.