area rugs
the animal gaze animal subjectivities in southern african narratives
many humans do not regard animals as complex beings . instead they objectify animals relate to them as pets or see them simply as spectacles of beauty or wildness . by contrast the southern african writers whose work is explored in the animal gaze including olive schreiner zakes mda yvonne vera eugene n. marais j.m. coetzee luis bernardo honwana michiel heyns marlene van niekerk and linda tucker represent animals as richly individual subjects . the animals including cattle horses birds lions leopards baboons dogs cats and a whale experience complex emotions and have agency intentionality and morality as well as an ability to recognize and fear death . the animal gaze engages with the writings of jacques derrida j.m. coetzee val plumwood and martha c. nussbaum as it brings together literary studies ethics animal studies and african traditional thought including shamanism in a way that compels the reader to think differently about nonhuman animals and human relationships with them .