“You’ve Got to Know How to Speak Animalese”: Literary Explorations of Engagements with the Animal Other

Abstract

As the harmful impact of anthropogenic activity on the environment becomes increasingly glaring, it has become more urgent than ever to find more ethical and sustainable ways of engaging with the other animals with whom we share space. From extreme weather events to food supply disruptions and species extinctions, it is no longer possible to cling to the hubristic myth of an independent human who exercises dominion over nature. Our actions and choices have very real, immediate, and often unintended environmental consequences and our own species survival depends on accepting this inter-dependent reality in a spirit of respectful responsibility. While climate change is now widely considered to be an issue that demands serious attention, this article will argue that any attempt to foster greater environmental care will be compromised if we fail to listen to the voices of the animal other. I will explore the ways in which other animals try to speak and the challenges that inevitably arise when attempting to hear those voices by anchoring my argument in a literary analysis of selected contemporary novels. I will demonstrate that, even when authors represent characters who care deeply about the environment, animals tend to fall through the cracks of their activist commitments, and they repeatedly turn away from opportunities to listen respectfully to the voices of animals.