Snake (Object Lessons)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Feared and worshiped in equal measure, snakes have captured the imagination of poets, painters, and philosophers for centuries. From Ice Age cave drawings to Snakes on a Plane , this creature continues to enthrall the public. But what harm has been caused by our mythologizing? While considering the dangers of stigma, Erica Wright moves from art and pop culture to religion, fetish, and ecologic disaster. This book considers how the snake has become more symbol than animal, a metaphor for how we treat whatever scares us the most, whether or not our panic is justified. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in the The Atlantic . Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Chapter 1: Kingsnakes and Beauty Queens Chapter 2: The Problem of the Serpent Chapter 3: From Mademoiselle Dorita to Britney Spears: The Snake Charmer Girls Chapter 4: A Mouse in Your Teeth Chapter 5: Say Amen and Pass the Cottonmouth Chapter 6: Python Pocketbooks Chapter 7: Who’s a Good Boy? Chapter 8: Snakes Are Not Cheap: Titanoboa and Other Monsters in the Lake Chapter 9: The Hobbyist Chapter 10: Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth Chapter 11: Magnanimity and True Courage Acknowledgments Notes Index "From Eve to Snakes on a Plane, snakes have seduced and terrorized humans in equal measure, their mythological status creating real-world problems for this misunderstood animal"-- Provided by publisher "From Eve to Snakes on a Plane, snakes have seduced and terrorized humans in equal measure, their mythological status creating real-world problems for this misunderstood animal"--Résumé de l'éditeur