The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel
This article teases out what a Vegan Studies theoretical framework can offer a literary analysis of a selected pandemic novel, “The Fell” (2021), by Sarah Moss. Pandemic fiction accommodates texts from a wide range of genres, and these types of literary texts have seen a resurgence in the wake of th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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LED Edizioni Universitarie
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Relations |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/3201 |
| _version_ | 1797943397570314240 |
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| author | Jessica Murray |
| author_facet | Jessica Murray |
| author_sort | Jessica Murray |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article teases out what a Vegan Studies theoretical framework can offer a literary analysis of a selected pandemic novel, “The Fell” (2021), by Sarah Moss. Pandemic fiction accommodates texts from a wide range of genres, and these types of literary texts have seen a resurgence in the wake of the spread of the corona virus. While literary engagements with pandemics have often been relegated to the realms of dystopian science fiction, our current realities have shifted to such an extent that they can now comfortably be read alongside more realistic fictional representations of contemporary societies. The causal relationships between anthropocentric abuse of the environment in general and of animals in particular, and pandemics have been energetically contested in the media and in scholarly disciplinary fields ranging from Virology to Critical Animal Studies. The argument that I will develop is that Vegan Studies is a theoretical rubric with unique and salient generative capacity and that it allows for the emergence of fresh and necessary insights when we start unpacking how to make sense of pandemics through fiction. I will use Moss’s novel to anchor and illustrate my argument in favour of the value of Vegan Studies in these discussions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:22:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c85d26be23cc4b28a96116e7c9bb717a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2283-3196 2280-9643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:22:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | LED Edizioni Universitarie |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Relations |
| spelling | doaj.art-c85d26be23cc4b28a96116e7c9bb717a2023-01-25T14:42:47ZengLED Edizioni UniversitarieRelations2283-31962280-96432023-01-01102233810.7358/rela-2022-02-murj1675The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic NovelJessica Murray0University of South AfricaThis article teases out what a Vegan Studies theoretical framework can offer a literary analysis of a selected pandemic novel, “The Fell” (2021), by Sarah Moss. Pandemic fiction accommodates texts from a wide range of genres, and these types of literary texts have seen a resurgence in the wake of the spread of the corona virus. While literary engagements with pandemics have often been relegated to the realms of dystopian science fiction, our current realities have shifted to such an extent that they can now comfortably be read alongside more realistic fictional representations of contemporary societies. The causal relationships between anthropocentric abuse of the environment in general and of animals in particular, and pandemics have been energetically contested in the media and in scholarly disciplinary fields ranging from Virology to Critical Animal Studies. The argument that I will develop is that Vegan Studies is a theoretical rubric with unique and salient generative capacity and that it allows for the emergence of fresh and necessary insights when we start unpacking how to make sense of pandemics through fiction. I will use Moss’s novel to anchor and illustrate my argument in favour of the value of Vegan Studies in these discussions.https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/3201animalsfactory farmingfood politicsliterary studiesmore-thanhumanpandemic fictionsarah mossveganismvegan studiesviolence. |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Murray The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel Relations animals factory farming food politics literary studies more-thanhuman pandemic fiction sarah moss veganism vegan studies violence. |
| title | The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel |
| title_full | The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel |
| title_fullStr | The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel |
| title_full_unstemmed | The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel |
| title_short | The “Cruel Absurdity” of Human Violence and Its Consequences. A Vegan Studies Analysis of a Pandemic Novel |
| title_sort | cruel absurdity of human violence and its consequences a vegan studies analysis of a pandemic novel |
| topic | animals factory farming food politics literary studies more-thanhuman pandemic fiction sarah moss veganism vegan studies violence. |
| url | https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/3201 |
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