Animals, Animality and Controversy in Modern Welsh Literature and Culture
Exploring connections between humans and animals in literature
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Wales Press
Published:15th Nov '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This book explores the connections between humans and animals in Welsh literature, emphasizing themes of intelligence, sensibility, and knowledge from an animal perspective.
In Animals, Animality and Controversy in Modern Welsh Literature and Culture, the author delves into the intricate relationships between humans and animals within the context of Welsh literature. Drawing on key concepts from animal studies, this groundbreaking work examines how Welsh authors portray intelligence, sensibility, and knowledge from an animal perspective. By viewing literature through the lens of a relational universe, the book offers a fresh understanding of the interconnectedness of all living beings, challenging traditional narratives and emphasizing the importance of animal representation in literary discourse.
This pioneering study introduces readers to essential themes in animal studies, utilizing a diverse range of Welsh literary and non-literary texts, including the Welsh press and language manuals. Through these explorations, the author highlights how Welsh literature reflects and engages with the complexities of animality, encompassing topics such as domestication, captivity, and communication. By situating these discussions within the broader context of rural and industrial Wales, the book suggests new avenues for reclaiming a history informed by an animal-centric perspective.
Ultimately, Animals, Animality and Controversy in Modern Welsh Literature and Culture sheds light on controversial subjects such as human exceptionalism, zoos, and farming practices. This innovative contribution not only enriches the field of Welsh studies but also encourages readers to rethink their relationship with the animal world, fostering a deeper appreciation for the narratives that shape our understanding of both human and animal experiences.
An alert and wide-ranging contribution to our understanding of the “entangled empathies”, complex dependencies and multiple environments (natural, agricultural, industrial and domestic) of human−animal relations in Wales’s imaginative writing. Peach’s study is eloquent in its respect for animal subjectivities and humbling in its rebuke of human exceptionalism.’ Damian Walford Davies, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of English Literature, Cardiff University ‘“The pig is a friend” wrote the great Welsh poet R. S. Thomas, and Linden Peach’s richly knowledgeable and engagingly written book offers the ideal introduction to the many, deep and deeply ambivalent relationships with animals that populate Welsh literature. Drawing on key themes in animal studies, and connecting deft analysis of specific portrayals of animals to cultural and ecological knowledges about them, the book reveals for the first time that the most innovative contemporary ideas about humans’ relations with animals are profoundly expressed in Welsh literary traditions. This is a most exciting and important addition to literary animal studies. -- Robert McKay, co-editor of Palgrave Studies in Animals and Literature
ISBN: 9781786839374
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
264 pages