Oranges are not the Only Fruit is a novel written by Jeanette Winterson between 1983 and 1984. The novel is introduced by a dedication "To Philippa Brewster who was the beginning" and two quotations "When thick rinds are used the top must be thoroughly skimmed, or a scum will form marring the final appearance" from The Making of Marmalade by Mrs Beeton and "Oranges are not the only fruit" by Nell Gwynn. It composed by 8 chapters each one having the title of a book of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth).

 

Introduction
The edition published by Vintage in 1991 contains also an introduction written by Jeanette Winterson.
The first lines of the introduction are aimed at showing the developing process which led to the creation of the book, from the way she lived at the time to the difficulties for a young novelist.
After that she uses the introduction to describe how her novel can be defined: an "experimental novel" a "threatening novel" and a "comforting novel".
An "experimental novel" because it uses a large vocabulary and a complex narrative structure allowing "to read in spirals".
A "threatening novel" because it describes the Church and homosexual's world from a different point of view. The importance of these themes in European culture is showed by the debates that followed the broadcasting on the BBC of a TV series inspired by the novel.
A "comforting novel" because it "deals absolutely with emotions and confrontations that none of us can avoid" proposing difficult questions without giving the expected easy answers.
Then Jeanette Winterson clarifies his novel is not an autobiography and analyses the importance for an author to "find fresh ways of expressing the habitual circumstances of human condition".

 

Genesis
Genesis is the first chapter of Jeanette Winterson's novel. The title of the chapter suggests its content: as the Genesis in the Bible deals with the creation of human beings by God, in this novel it describes the creation of Jeanette's personality ad destiny by "the God of her world" her mother.
In this chapter (as in the others) a small story is told. It is the story of a "brilliant and beautiful princess" who was very sensitive. One day she met a hunchback who knew the secrets of magic and had in charge a small village. The hunchback offered to the princess the possibility to replace her and promised to give her a three-legged stool, all her books and a harmonium. She would have only to milk the goats, to educate the people and to compose songs for their festivals. The princess accepted and forgot her family and her castle and the hunchback died.
This story is an allegory where the princess represents Jeanette, who lost every link to her past to become a missionary after the adoption. The hunchback who knows every secret of magic symbolize her mother and her faith while the gifts stand for the conversion of unfaithful person, the teaching of the Bible and the meetings.

 

Exodus
Exodus is the second chapter of Oranges are not the Only Fruit. In the Bible Exodus is composed by three parts: the description of the Jewish's' slavery in Egypt and their escape; the description of their voyage to reach the Promised Land; the description of the laws and instructions for the Tabernacle given by God. In Jeanette Winterson's book Exodus is composed by three parts too: the slavery is compared to her stay in the hospital where she feels unhappy; the voyage to the Promise Land can be represented by her difficulties at school; the laws are the support given to her by her community and older friends (especially Elsie).
The last lines of this chapter tell another story: the story of Tetrahedron, an emperor. Thanks to a gift he understood that "no emotion is the final one". This story represents Jeanette Winterson's vision of the world: the power of imagination leads to go beyond the notions, showing how everyone is supposed to have a form, but nothing is how it appears.