Fowles, John (Robert) (b. March 31, 1926, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, Eng.—d. Nov. 5, 2005, Lyme Regis, Dorset) British novelist. His richly allusive and descriptive works combine psychological probings—chiefly of sex and love—with an interest in the social and philosophical context of human behaviour. His first novel. The Collector (1963; film, 1965), about a shy man who kidnaps a girl in a hapless search for love, was fol¬ lowed by The Magus (1965; film, 1968) and The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969; film, 1981), his most famous work, set in Victorian England. Later works include the novella collection The Ebony Tower (1974; film made for television, 1984), Daniel Martin (1977), and A Mag¬ got (1985).
fox Any of various canines resembling small to medium-sized, bushy- tailed dogs. Foxes have long fur, pointed ears, relatively short legs, and a naiTOw snout. They have often been hunted for sport or fur. In a more restricted sense, the name refers to about 10 species of true foxes (genus Vulpes), especially both the Old and New World red foxes. See also Arc¬ tic FOX, BAT-EARED FOX, FENNEC, GRAY FOX.
Fox North American Indian people living mainly in Oklahoma but also in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, U.S. They are distinct from but united with the Sauk (Sac) as the Sac and Fox Nation. Their name for them¬ selves is Mesquakie (or Meshkwahkihaki, meaning “People of the Red Earth”), and their language is of the Algonquian family. They are believed to have originated from the Great Lakes region. Both the Sauk and the Fox were living in Wisconsin at the time of first European contact. Their permanent villages—near fields in which women cultivated corn, beans, and squash—were occupied in summer; in winter they hunted bison on the prairies. A chief and council administered tribal affairs. Families were grouped into clans. Religious life centred on the Grand Medicine Soci¬ ety, whose members enlisted supernatural aid to heal the sick and ensure success in warfare. In the 18th century the Fox joined with the Sauk to war against the French and English. Though unconquered, they retreated south to Illinois and later west to Iowa. In 1832 Black Hawk led a group of Fox and Sauk in an unsuccessful attempt to return to their Illinois lands. In the 2000 U.S. census some 4,200 people claimed Sac and Fox descent.
Fox, Charles James (b. Jan. 24, 1749, London, Eng.—d. Sept. 13, 1806, Chiswick, Devon) British politician. He entered Parliament in 1768 and became leader of the Whigs in the House of Commons, where he used his brilliant oratorical skills to strongly oppose Britain’s policy toward the American colonies. Almost always in the political opposition, he conducted a vendetta against George III and was later an enemy of Wil¬ liam Pin. He served as Britain’s first foreign secretary (1782, 1783, 1806). He achieved two important reforms by steering through Parliament a resolution pledging it to end the slave trade and by enacting the 1792 Libel Act, which restored to juries their right to decide what constituted libel and whether or not a defendant was guilty of it. He is remembered as a great champion of liberty.
Fox, George (b. July 1624, Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire, Eng.—d. Jan. 13, 1691, London) English preacher and founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. The son of a weaver, he left home at age 18 in search of religious experience. Probably beginning as a Puritan, he reacted even more strongly than the Puritans against the tradition of the Church of England and came to regard personal experience as the true source of authority, placing God-given “inward light,” or inspiration, above creeds and scripture. He traveled the countryside on foot, preach¬ ing to small groups, and he and other preachers established congregations. The Society of Friends arose in the 1650s. The Quakers’ denunciation of ministers and public officials and their refusal to pay tithes or take oaths led to persecution, and Fox was imprisoned eight times between 1649 and 1673. He made missionary trips to Ireland, the Caribbean islands. North America, and northern Europe. His Journal gives an account of his life and of the rise of Quakerism.
Fox, Vicente Quesada (b. July 2, 1942, Mexico City, Mex.) Presi¬ dent of Mexico (2000- ) whose election ended 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). After earning a degree in business administration from the Ibero-American University in Mexico City, Fox took classes at Harvard Business School. He later worked for the Coca-Cola Company, serving as its chief executive in Mexico (1975— 79). In 1987 he joined the National Action Party (PAN) and the follow¬ ing year was elected to the national Chamber of Deputies. Elected governor of Guanajuato in 1995, he left the post in 1998 to focus on his national campaign. As president he sought to improve relations with the United States and calm civil unrest in such areas as Chiapas and Tabasco.
Fox Broadcasting Co. U.S. television broadcasting company. Founded in 1986 by Rupert Murdoch, it began with 79 affiliated stations that reached 80% of U.S. homes. The network gradually expanded its broadcast hours to seven nights a week and gained more affiliates to make it available across the U.S. Concentrating on shows that appealed to afflu¬ ent young viewers, it added programming divisions for children, sports, and news in the 1990s.
fox terrier Well-known breed of dog developed in England to drive foxes from their dens. The wire- haired variety was developed from a rough-coated black-and-tan terrier; the smooth-haired variety was devel¬ oped from the beagle, greyhound, bull terrier, and a smooth-coated black- and-tan terrier. Both are sturdy, with a tapered muzzle and folded,
V-shaped ears. They stand about 15 in. (38 cm) high and weigh 15-19 lb (7-8.5 kg). Predominantly white with black or black-and-tan mark¬ ings, fox terriers are noted for their bold, energetic nature.
foxglove Any of 20-30 species of herbaceous plants of the genus Digi¬ talis, in the snapdragon family, espe¬ cially D. purpurea, the common, or purple, foxglove. Native to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and the Canary Islands, foxgloves typically produce ovate to oblong leaves toward the lower part of the stem, which is capped by a tall, one-sided cluster of pendulous, bell-shaped, purple, yellow, or white flowers, often marked with spots within. D. purpurea is cultivated as the source of the heart-stimulating drug digitalis.
foxhound Either of two breeds of dogs traditionally kept in packs for fox hunting. The English foxhound stands 21-25 in. (53-64 cm) high and weighs 60-70 lbs (27-32 kg). It has a short coat, which is usually a com¬ bination of black, tan, and white. The American foxhound resembles the English breed in appearance and size but is more lightly built. It is the oldest breed of sporting dog in the U.S., developed from English fox-
Wirehaired fox terrier
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Foxglove (Digitalis)
DEREK FELL
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hounds imported beginning in 1650. Both breeds have been bred for strength, speed, and versatility; they are rarely kept as house pets.
foxhunting Chase of a fox by horsemen with a pack of hounds. In England, home of the sport, it dates from at least the 15th century, when it probably developed out of stag and hare hunting. Modern foxhunting became popular among the upper classes in the 19th century. A hunt is led by the master; the dogs (usually 15-20 matched pairs) are controlled by the huntsman and two or three assistants. The hunt may take place on any grounds (woodlands, heath, or fields) where a fox is suspected to be. The riders, outfitted in distinctive scarlet coats, meet at a host’s house, and the hounds are sent off to search out the fox; when it is found, the hunt begins. The fox is chased until it either escapes or is cornered and killed. Although foxhunting reached its peak in popularity before World War I, it continued to be practiced afterward, most notably in the United Kingdom. However, growing opposition to the sport, largely based on charges of animal cruelty and elitism, led to its ban in Scotland (2002) and in England and Wales (2005).