Following the Animal

Following the Animal
Author: Ann-Sofie Lönngren
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2015-09-10
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1443882461

Literary transformations from human to animal have occurred in myths, folklore, fairy tales and narratives from all over the world since ancient times, and have always provided a narrative space for depictions of power, agency, and the radical nature of change. In Following the Animal, these transformations are analysed with regards to their use in modern literature from northern-most Europe, with specific attention being paid to the insights they provide regarding the human-animal relationship, both generally in the industrialized West, and against the background of more specific circumstances in the Nordic area. In three analytic chapters, focusing respectively on Swedish author August Strindberg’s novel Tschandala (1887), Finnish author Aino Kallas’s novel The Wolf’s Bride (1928), and Danish author Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen’s short story “The Monkey” (1934), along with discussions of a range of other authors and texts, the reader is introduced to several traditions of literary production that both connect to, and differ from, Anglophone and other literature in fascinating ways. In addition to the insights it provides concerning the uses of human-animal transformations in modern Nordic literature, and their significance in relation to “the question of the animal”, Following the Animal also offers literary scholars and students alike a series of useable and transferable strategies for approaching texts from a “more-than-anthropocentric”, human-animal studies perspective. In phrasing and employing the interpretational method of “following the animal” over the text’s surface, up metaphorical elevations, down material wormholes, and in constant dialogue with previous research, this book contributes greatly to both human-animal literary studies specifically, and to the field of literary scholarship generally, in both an international and northern-European context.

The Tree and the Vine

The Tree and the Vine
Author: Dola De Jong
Publisher: Feminist Press at CUNY
Total Pages: 210
Release: 1996
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781558611412

A lesbian love story set during the Nazi occupation in Holland.

The Heat of Day

The Heat of Day
Author: March Hastings
Publisher: She Winked Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2011-10-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 193645646X

First Digital Edition; Grier Rating: A* It was an exclusive camp for well-bred young ladies… girls on the threshold of womanhood... long-legged and sweetly-sensitive, eager for an end of innocence, restless with the nagging needs of unfulfilled appetites… anxious to explore the secret avenues of pleasure spoken of in hushed whispers… willing to follow the paths that led to forbidden ecstasies… the only kind of ecstasy available to them in this world without men. From the book: "You want me," Hallie murmured softly, her pretty face intent. "Why don't you admit it?" Sondra felt Hallie's knee rubbing along her bare thigh. The gentle rhythm had begun to hypnotize her and her ears picked up the distant droning of a bee. She felt herself go limp as Hallie drew her close. "All right," she whispered drowsily, floating in the sweet tranquility of the mood. "I admit it." As Hallie's hand moved, Sondra felt the stirring of excitement within her. It was as if it was the first time someone was touching her. She could feel her body begin to warm. She suddenly felt a need for further contact, for more intimate nearness. "Do you want me to stop?" It was a whisper. Sondra trembled and shook her head in mute reply and the arms guided her backwards to the fragrant grass. She felt the hands tugging at her brief shorts and it startled her that she welcomed the exposure. She wanted Hallie to see her, to know her, to discover her. She lay still, fearing that if she moved, everything would dissolve or change. "You're so pretty," Hallie breathed, touching her gently. Sondra felt the warm sun on her nakedness and moaned, lifting her arms in uncontrollable and nameless seeking. "Oh, please, Hallie… teach me… show me…"

Aye, and Gomorrah

Aye, and Gomorrah
Author: Samuel R. Delany
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2003-04-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0375706712

A father must come to terms with his son's death in the war. In Venice an architecture student commits a crime of passion. A white southern airport loader tries to do a favor for a black northern child. The ordinary stuff of ordinary fiction--but with a difference! These tales take place twenty-five, fifty, a hundred-fifty years from now, when men and women have been given gills to labor under the sea. Huge repair stations patrol the cables carrying power to the ends of the earth. Telepathic and precocious children so passionately yearn to visit distant galaxies that they'll kill to go. Brilliantly crafted, beautifully written, these are Samuel Delany's award-winning stories, like no others before or since.

Animal Alterity

Animal Alterity
Author: Sherryl Vint
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1846312345

Animal Alterity uses readings of science fiction texts to explore how animals are central to our perception of humanity. Arguing that the academic field of animal studies and the popular genre of science fiction share a number a critical concerns, Sherryl Vint expresses an urgent need to reconsider the human-animal boundary in a world of genetic engineering, factory farming, species extinctions, and increasing evidence of animal intelligence, emotions, and tool use. Mapping the complex terrain of human relations with non-human animals, this book offers an important intervention into the contentious ongoing discussions of the post-human.

Unlike Others

Unlike Others
Author: Valerie Taylor
Publisher: She Winked Press
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2011-06-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1936456354

First Digital Edition; Grier Rating: A* Jo works for the publisher of a small magazine. She is very good at what she does and enjoys the challenges that come with her job. Jo is not looking for love, having just ended a relationship with Karen who used her and cheated on her. No, Jo is going to focus on her work and stay away from women… until she meets Betsy at work. She is surprised to be so strongly attracted to Betsy, but resolves to stay away from her. Betsy appears to be straight and has begun dating their boss, Stan. Feeling terribly lonely, Jo ventures out… and before long circumstances bring her and Linda together. Linda and Jo are unable to fight the powerful attraction between them, however Jo's heart still yearns for the seemingly unattainable Betsy. When the relationship between Betsy and Stan grows and becomes entangled, Betsy turns to Jo for help and comfort… which is almost too much for Jo to bear. Almost. A highly-talented writer, Valerie Taylor brings us the poignant and absorbing story of a young woman's search for love and fulfillment in a world of shadowed embraces and secret vows. And, as is often the case with her lesbian pulps, Ms. Taylor refuses to condemn her characters to negative and tragic consequences.