Pro-Animal Poetics

Pro-Animal Poetics offers a comprehensive study of the animal poems of D. H. Lawrence and Ted Hughes through the lens of Critical Animal Studies. It examines the works of these two renowned pro-animal poets chosen for their repudiation of ‘abstract thought’ and celebration of ‘animalness embodied in the animals’. Inspired by posthumanist thinkers, the book challenges anthropocentric biases to rethink human-animal relationships. The study explores Lawrence’s emphasis on animal alterity and the unsubstitutable singularity of animal lives, alongside his advocacy for a moral human-animal relationship that stimulates ethical responsibility. For Hughes, it traces his biocentric vision in early works, promoting respect for animals on their own terms, and delves into his later engagement with animal ethics, driven by environmental consciousness and a pursuit of ecological justice for non-human animals. Ultimately, this book aims to enrich zoo-centric literary criticism and foster a more perceptive, responsible understanding of human-animal entanglements.