Key Facts
full title ·
Watership Down
author · Richard Adams
type of work · Novel
genre · Fantasy; allegory
language · English
time and place written · Early 1970s; England
date of first publication · 1972
publisher · Rex Collings, Ltd.
narrator · Omniscient narrator
point of view · Primarily Hazel's point of view, but shifts among several of the major characters
tone · Sorrowfully optimistic, always suggesting that something can be done about the world's evils
tense · Immediate past
setting (time) · The events of the novel take place from May to October in no specific year, but likely around the time the novel was written; the epilogue takes place several years later
setting (place) · Between Berkshire and Hampshire, England
protagonist · Hazel
antagonist · Woundwort
climax · The battle between Bigwig and Woundwort
falling action · The dog chases away the Efrafan rabbits
themes · Home; leadership; nature
motifs · Adapting; trickery; humanity
symbols · The rabbit warren
foreshadowing · At the beginning of each chapter Adams quotes a passage from a famous text that vaguely indicates what will happen in the chapter
