The Cunning Little Vixen as "Jenůfa" and "Káťa Kabanová". In "The Cunning Little Vixen", the composer moved away from the more conversational style of previous and subsequent operas in favor of a more folk-like style, and wove into its fabric some of his most experimental opera concepts (ballet, mime, and orchestral interludes). Janáček based "The Cunning Little Vixen"s tonality on modes (similarly to much output during his last decade), expanding the music's harmonic range through the utilisation of the seventh and ninth chords. The composition makes frequent use of folk-influenced rhythms and "sčasovka" (personally-coined term for a short motif), while it has been noted
The Cunning Little Vixen to contain similarities to the music of French composer Claude Debussy. At Janáček's request, the final scene from " The Cunning Little Vixen" was performed at his funeral in 1928. Ursula Dubosarsky's 2018 novel for children, "Brindabella", is based on Rudolf Těsnohlídek's "Vixen Sharp Ears", the source story of the Cunning Little Vixen, relocated in the Australian bush, with the role of the Vixen played by a kangaroo. Broken down from the original Czech, the title is There is no mention in the Czech of a diminutive ("little"), although this idea is included in both the German "(Das schlaue Füchslein)"