Reading Slaughter: Abattoir Fictions, Space, and Empathy in Late Modernity (Palgrave Studies in Animals and Literature)

Reading Slaughter: Abattoir Fictions, Space, and Empathy in Late Modernity examines literary depictions of slaughterhouses from the development of the industrial abattoir in the late nineteenth century to today. The book focuses on how increasing and ongoing isolation and concealment of slaughter from the surrounding society affects readings and depictions of slaughter and abattoirs in literature, and on the degree to which depictions of animals being slaughtered creates an avenue for empathic reactions in the reader or the opportunity for reflections on human-animal relations. Through chapters on abattoir fictions in relation to narrative empathy, anthropomorphism, urban spaces, rural spaces, human identities and horror fiction, Sune Borkfelt contributes to debates in literary animal studies, human-animal studies and beyond. Table of Contents : 1 Introduction: Fleshing Out Invisibilities Visibility and Slaughterhouse Histories Decoding Slaughterhouses Heterotopias and the Invisibility of Violence and Death Literature and the Invisible Slaughterhouse Scope and Outline of Reading Slaughter Works Cited 2 Literary Narratives and the Empathics of Slaughter Delimitations and Definitions Literary Empathy and Animals: Exclusions and Misconceptions Empathy and Anonymous Animals Empathy and Nonhuman Individualities Emotion, Context, and Distance to Slaughter Empathy, Vulnerability, Sentimentalism, and Care Works Cited 3 Anthropomorphism and the Abattoir Slaughter and the Anthropomorphic Animal Narrating Bovine Mythology in James Agees A Mothers Tale Absurdity and Anthropomorphism: Astleys The End of My Tether Slaughter, Anthropomorphism, Empathy Works Cited 4 Flesh of the City: Slaughterhouses and the Urban Concealment and Deindividualization: Egolfs Lord of the Barnyard Slaughter and the Working Beast The Proud Slaughterers Sense of Place: Hinds The Dear Green Place Humans and Animals: Parallel Disappearances in the Urban Works Cited 5 Ruralities and the Abattoir Nostalgia, Rurality, and A Question of Place Bovines and Rural/Urban Contrasts: Sterchis The Cow Rurality, Care Ethics, and Empathy Works Cited 6 Who Slaughters and Who Consumes? On Butcher(ing) Identities Shades of Whiteness, Absence of Blackness Violence in the Workplace: Deviance and Marginalization (En)Gendered Slaughter Slaughter, Identities, Animals Works Cited 7 Dark Spaces: The Horrific Slaughterhouse Vulnerable Animal Horrors Being Meat: Others Eating Humans Cannibalism and the Abattoir Works Cited 8 Coda Works Cited Index Acknowledgements Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: Fleshing Out Invisibilities Visibility and Slaughterhouse Histories Decoding Slaughterhouses Heterotopias and the Invisibility of Violence and Death Literature and the Invisible Slaughterhouse Scope and Outline of Reading Slaughter Works Cited Chapter 2: Literary Narratives and the Empathics of Slaughter Delimitations and Definitions Literary Empathy and Animals: Exclusions and Misconceptions Empathy and Anonymous Animals Empathy and Nonhuman Individualities Emotion, Context, and Distance to Slaughter Empathy, Vulnerability, Sentimentalism, and Care Works Cited Chapter 3: Anthropomorphism and the Abattoir Slaughter and the Anthropomorphic Animal Narrating Bovine Mythology in James Agee’s ‘A Mother’s Tale’ Absurdity and Anthropomorphism: Astley’s The End of My Tether Slaughter, Anthropomorphism, Empathy Works Cited Chapter 4: Flesh of the City: Slaughterhouses and the Urban Concealment and Deindividualization: Egolf’s Lord of the Barnyard Slaughter and the Working Beast The Proud Slaughterer’s Sense of Place: Hind’s The Dear Green Place Humans and Animals: Parallel Disappearances in the Urban Works Cited Chapter 5: Ruralities and the Abattoir Nostalgia, Rurality, and ‘A Question of Place’ Bovines and Rural/Urban Contrasts: Sterchi’s The Cow Rurality, Care Ethics, and Empathy Works Cited Chapter 6: Who Slaughters and Who Consumes? On Butcher(ing) Identities Shades of Whiteness, Absence of Blackness Violence in the Workplace: Deviance and Marginalization (En)Gendered Slaughter Slaughter, Identities, Animals Works Cited Chapter 7: Dark Spaces: The Horrific Slaughterhouse Vulnerable Animal Horrors Being Meat: Others Eating Humans Cannibalism and the Abattoir Works Cited Chapter 8: Coda Works Cited Index Reading Slaughter: Abattoir Fictions, Space, and Empathy in Late Modernity examines literary depictions of slaughterhouses from the development of the industrial abattoir in the late nineteenth century to today. The book focuses on how increasing and ongoing isolation and concealment of slaughter from the surrounding society affects readings and depictions of slaughter and abattoirs in literature, and on the degree to which depictions of animals being slaughtered creates an avenue for empathic reactions in the reader or the opportunity for reflections on human-animal relations. Through chapters on abattoir fictions in relation to narrative empathy, anthropomorphism, urban spaces, rural spaces, human identities and horror fiction, Sune Borkfelt contributes to debates in literary animal studies, human-animal studies and beyond. Sune Borkfelt lectures at Aarhus University, Denmark. His publications include articles and book chapters on nonhuman otherness, postcolonial animals, the naming of nonhuman animals, and the ethics of animal product marketing. He is also co-author of a critical research-based Danish book on hunting.