A Cultural History of Animals in the Renaissance [Paperback]

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2008

The Renaissance was an extraordinary period of change in the West, fuelled by changing cultural formations, shifting empires, the growth in exploration, and developments in science and technology.A Cultural History of Animals in the Renaissancepresents a broad overview of the changing role of animals in the economy, culture and thinking of the period. Covering the period 1400 to 1600, the volume explores a wide range of topics, from the symbolic role of birds in early modern writing to the development of illustrated works of natural history.

A Cultural History of Animals in the Renaissancepresents 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.

Introduction: The Animal Renaissance, Bruce Boehrer, Florida State University 1. A 'Foule Fowle': The Marginalised Cormorant in the Renaissance, Kevin De Ornellas, Queen's University, Belfast 2. Hunting Rites and Animals Rights in the Renaissance, Charles Bergman, Pacific Lutheran University 3. Domesticated Animals in Renaissance Europe, Peter Edwards, Roehampton University 4. Entertaining Animals 1558-1625, Teresa Grant, University of Warwick 5. The Relation Between Discourse and Illustrations in Natural History Treatises of the Mid-Sixteenth Century, Philippe Glardon, Institut Universitaire d'Histoire de la Medecine at Lausanne 6. Philosophers and Animals in the Renaissance, Stefano Perfetti, University of Pisa 7. Meticulous Depiction: Animals in Art, 1400-1600, Victoria Dickenson, McCord Museum, McGill University Notes Bibliography Index