ReadingAnimals

A charming quote to end the week:

The Dachshund’s affectionate
He wants to wed with you:
Lie down to sleep,
And he’s in bed with you.
Sit in a chair,
He’s there.
Depart,
You break his heart.

E.B. White

I have been on hiatus for weeks mourning the death of my beloved  Punkin, a cat who was part of my family for 15 years.  Because I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t blogging about animal books and stories.  Today, after a long time, I feel I am ready to start again. 
I start with thanks to [...]

Things have been quiet for the last week or so. Why?

We can care about both human rights and the rights of other great apes (and other animals). It’s not the case that there’s only enough compassion for one or the other. In many ways, the pending legislation says “There are even fewer reasons to deny an individual life and liberty. Today, we say that this tiny genetic distinction cannot be used as license to torture and kill.”

Dewey was very generous to include ReadingAnimals.com in Weekly Geeks #8 - coincidentally during a week when I was out of town teaching a course. Doh! So a belated thank you

A reflection on the Month of Elephants series from start to finish.

I’ve been keeping track of my own responses to various devices used in the telling of animals’ stories a little more closely.
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Sadly, I could not get a member of the pack to pose with any of my book stacks, though I thought of putting the stacks sideways next to one of the wiener dogs to illustrate scale. No one was down with my plan, if you know what I mean.
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I wandered from one discipline to the next and eventually found myself a resident of the borderlands between those that make up critical animal studies, not unlike Lochner, whose essay I reflect on here.
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When we tell our own stories, we have a duty to self and perhaps a duty to our audience, when there is one. When we tell stories that are not our own, we also have a duty to that someone or someones, especially when they cannot or do not take part in the telling.
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