A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
Dead Dog Talking : Posthumous, Preposthumous, and Preposterous Canine Narration in Charles Siebert’s Angus (2020)


Keskinen, M. (2020). Dead Dog Talking : Posthumous, Preposthumous, and Preposterous Canine Narration in Charles Siebert’s Angus. In S. Karkulehto, A.-K. Koistinen, & E. Varis (Eds.), Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture (pp. 145-162). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429243042-11


JYU authors or editors


Publication details

All authors or editors: Keskinen, Mikko

Parent publication: Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture

Parent publication editors: Karkulehto, Sanna; Koistinen, Aino-Kaisa; Varis, Essi

ISBN: 978-0-367-19747-6

eISBN: 978-0-429-24304-2

Publication year: 2020

Pages range: 145-162

Number of pages in the book: 400

Publisher: Routledge

Place of Publication: New York

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429243042-11

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/72755


Abstract

The section focusing on narrating and narrated animals opens with Mikko Keskinen’s chapter, which probes the narrational peculiarities of posthumous tales told by dogs. The primary target of Keskinen’s analysis is Charles Siebert’s novel Angus (2000), a first-person memoir of a dying Jack Russell terrier. The novel presents its canine protagonist Angus as having an outstanding command of the English language, whereby it is no surprise that his lineage turns out to be particularly literary. Yet there are curious idiosyncrasies in his parlance, which appear to suggest a uniquely cynomorphic language and worldview.

Since Angus the dog resides on the border zone between human and nonhuman spheres of communication and knowledge, he is a hybrid creature: domesticated, yet wildly unfamiliar. A similar hybridity marks Angus the novel and the effects of its narration: backward narration may appear a “natural” analogy to canines’ ability to trail lingering scents, but it also results in unnatural and counterfactual effects and storylines.


Keywords: experimental literature; narration; time structure; dog; posthumanism


Contributing organizations


Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 3


Last updated on 2024-22-04 at 10:51