I have in my reading pile right now two "modern" books using anthropomorphism to tell their stories.
Both, I have to admit, are a bit of a snore, as I've struggled to finish them. But finish them I will, because it's this kind of novel (without the boring bits) that I want to write.
The first is "A Rat's Tale," by Tor Seidler. I guess, as it was published in 1986, that it's not necessarily modern, but modern enough for it to make a contrast with what I hold as the holy grail of such books: Kenneth Grahame's "A Wind in the Willows."
The second is David Sedaris' 2010 attempt, "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk," which aside from a few of the tales being useful as anti-moral relativism screeds, is best left on the shelf (I'm certainly glad I found it used and didnt' pay the $21.99 suggested on the inside of the book jacket).
Seidler's story has the sin of just being dull, which is something I see shining in my own writing, so reading it is a good cautionary tale.
I think what appeals to me in Grahame's work, and in the many like it, is while conflict is certainly the root of the tale (poor old Toad coming near to losing Toad Hall due to his own self-destructive tencencies, just like good ol' 1970s sci-fi) the conflict is only part of the story. It's there to give the characters something to be concerned about, it's not necessarily front and center to the worldbuilding. And for me, it's the worldbuilding, like Beatrix Potter's spotting of the animals putting out their washing, that appeals.
I know I'm not explaining this very well; it's why my own writing is so hard to get through at the moment; I need to clarify my own thinking before I put it on paper.
What I've written is certainly too heavy for the kind of tale I enjoy reading, so a major re-work is needed. But that's how it works in this business.
Another of my favorite anthropomorphized stories:
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