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The Wild and the Domestic : Animal Representation, Ecocriticism, and Western American Literature
The Wild and the Domestic Animal Representation Ecocriticism and Western American Literature Author:Barney Nelson The Wild and the Domestic provides a challenging look at current feminist criticism as well as ecocriticism and the burgeoning literature of the environment. Barney Nelson, rancher, hunter, and longtime environmentalist, is widely considered one of the most original and innovative scholars at work in the field today. She offers unique views of t... more »he "domestic" qualities of many wild animals as well as the wildness in domesticated species often witnessed by those who live close to the land, as she and her family have for generations. In this provocative work, Nelson focuses on the thought and work of major environmentalists Mary Austin, John Muir, and Edward Abbey. As Nelson says, "Authors of animal stories appearing in both American literature and environmental anti-grazing rhetoric have melodramatically cast domestic animals as female Eden-wreckers and wild animals as male noble savages." This dichotomy influenced political decisions that were destructive to Mary Austin's own rural community, located along the eastern flank of California's Sierra Nevada. The influence of Austin on environmental thinker John Muir has been suggested but not investigated in real depth until now. Nelson's reading of Edward Abbey's work through the lens of Austin's theories and experiences reveals her surprising influence on an environmentalist held in disfavor by the ecofeminist critics. Nelson's scholarly explorations in this beautifully written and sometimes startling volume are vitally enhanced by several lively and thoughtful personal essays concerning her own life on the land.« less