Thomas Hardy and Animals by Anna West
Thomas Hardy and Animals examines the human and nonhuman animals who walk and crawl and fly across and around the pages of Hardy's novels. Animals abound in his writings, yet little scholarly attention has been paid to them so far. This book fills this gap in Hardy studies, bringing an important author within range of a new and developing area of critical inquiry. It considers the way Hardy's representations of animals challenged ideas of human-animal boundaries debated by the Victorian scientific and philosophical communities. In moments of encounter between humans and animals, Hardy questions boundaries based on ideas of moral sense or moral agency, language and reason, the possession of a face, and the capacity to suffer and perceive pain. Through an emphasis on embodied encounters, his writings call for an extension of empathy to others, human or nonhuman. In this accessible book Anna West offers a new approach to Hardy criticism.
'… an important and welcome contribution to Hardy scholarship… West's volume serves as a good beginning point … on this compelling and complex subject. … Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.' R. D. Morrison, CHOICE
'Thomas Hardy and Animals is an outstanding piece of work that makes an important contribution to Hardy studies and to scholarship on animals in the Victorian period.' Jennifer McDonell, Victorian Studies
'… West's excellent study provides a very welcome introduction to the 'creatures' that play so notable a part in Hardy's oeuvre.' Adrian Tait, The British Society for Literature and Science
'Thomas Hardy and Animals is an outstanding piece of work that makes an important contribution to Hardy studies and to scholarship on animals in the Victorian period.' Jennifer McDonell, Victorian Studies
'… West's excellent study provides a very welcome introduction to the 'creatures' that play so notable a part in Hardy's oeuvre.' Adrian Tait, The British Society for Literature and Science
Anna West is an early career researcher specializing in Victorian literature and animal studies. Since receiving her PhD from the University of St Andrews, where her research was funded by a Macpherson studentship, she has published articles on Thomas Hardy, Victorian science and literature, and Victorian farming practices in relation to ovine disease. She is a member of the Thomas Hardy Society, the British Association for Victorian Studies, the North American Victorian Studies Association, the Midwest Victorian Studies Association, and the French Association for Thomas Hardy Studies.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781107179172 |
| ISBN 10 | 1107179173 |
| Title | Thomas Hardy and Animals |
| Author | Anna West |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2017-04-19 |
| Number of pages | 218 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |