A Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Enlightenment [Hardcover]

Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2008

The period of the Enlightenment saw great changes in the way animals were seen. The codifying and categorizing impulse of the age of reason saw sharp lines drawn between different animal species and between animals and humans. In 1600, beasts were still seen as the foils and adversaries of human reason. By 1800, animals had become exemplars of sentiment and compassion, the new standards of truth and morals. A new age had dawned, a time when humans admired animals and sought to recover their own animality.

A Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Enlightenmentpresents an overview of the period and continues with essays on the position of animals in contemporary symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

The Cultural History of Animals presents an innovative and compelling introduction to current scholarship about the historical relationships between people and other animals. Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, M.I.T.

An innovative and ambitious project that synthesizes knowledge of animals as living creatures and their symbolic representations... an invaluable contribution to our understanding... A combination of surprise and entertainment with serious research gives these volumes a place in the best tradition of accessible science. Bernd H?ppauf, New York University for H-Soz-u-Kult

High quality editing, clear writing, and abundant visual illustrations ... These volumes will be basic to future scholarship dealing with animals and society. Essential. Choice

Introduction: The Animal Witness
Matthew Senior, Oberlin College


1. The Souls of Men and Beasts, 1637-1764
Matthew Senior, Oberlin College


2. The War Against Animals: The Cultló2