The Animal Fable in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy, 20)

though Animal Stories And Fables Stretch Back Into The Antiquity Of Ancient India, Persia, Greece And Rome, The Reasons For Writing Them And Their Resonance For Readers (and Listeners) Remain Consistent To The Present. This Work Argues That They Were Essential Sources Of Amusement And Instruction—and Were Also Often Profoundly Unsettling. Such Authors In The Realm Of The Animal Fable As Tolkien, Freud, Voltaire, Bakhtin, Cordwainer Smith, Karel Capek, Vladimir Propp, And Many More Are Discussed. Introduction: why choose animals? The beast fable Philosophies of laughter The lineage of the animal fable Recasting the animal fable : short stories Recasting the animal fable : novels and novellas Author biographies: private experience and societal fears Satire and the carnivalesque 1: The heart of a dog Satire and the carnivalesque 2: War with the newts Companionate and erotic love 1: Sirius Companionate and erotic love: 2: Wish "It had been such a nice rabbit!" : City Crafted tales: "The dead lady of clown town" Good for reading. "This work argues for animals essential roles as sources of amusement and instruction, as well as being profoundly unsettling. Authors as diverse as Tolkien, Freud, Voltaire, Bakhtin, Cordwainer Smith, Karel Capek, Vladimir Propp, and many more are discussed in relation to their work in the realm of the animal fable"--Provided by publisher. Though animal stories and fables stretch back into the antiquity of ancient India, Persia, Greece and Rome, the reasons for writing them and their resonance for readers (and listeners) remain consistent. This work argues for their essential roles as sources of amusement and instruction, as well as being profoundly unsettling.