Synopses & Reviews
When the human understanding of beasts in the past is studied, what are revealed is not only the foundations of our own perception of animals, but humans contemplating their own status. This book argues that what is revealed in a wide range of writing from the early modern period is a recurring attempt to separate the human from the beast. Looking at the representation of the animal in the law, religious writings, literary representation, science and political ideas, what emerges is a sense of the fragility of humanity, a sense of a species which always requires an external addition--property, civilization, education--to be fully human.
Synopsis
When the human understanding of beasts in the past is studied, what are revealed is not only the foundations of our own perception of animals, but humans contemplating their own status. This book argues that what is revealed in a wide range of writing from the early modern period is a recurring attempt to separate the human from the beast. Looking at the representation of the animal in the law, religious writings, literary representation, science and political ideas, what emerges is a sense of the fragility of humanity, a sense of a species which always requires an external addition--property, civilization, education--to be fully human.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 210-225) and index.
About the Author
Erica Fudge is Lecturer in the School of Historical and Cultural Studies at Bath Spa University College.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Dangers of Anthropocentrism * Screaming Monkeys: The Creatures in the Bear Garden * Wild Beasts Making Havoc of the Soul: Animals, Humans and Religion * Judging Like a Malt-Horse: The Humanist Interpretation of Humanity * Seeing All Their Insides: Science, Animal Experimentation and Aesop * The Shape of a Man: Knowing Animals and the Law * The Bestialization of Humanity and the Salvation of the Beast: The Politics of the Animal Soul * Epilogue: Return to the Bear Garden