- Published: 03/09/2020
- ISBN: 9781783782796
- Granta Books
- 368 pages
Between Light and Storm
Esther Woolfson
Beginning with the very origins of life on Earth, Woolfson considers pre-historic human-animal interaction and traces the millennia-long evolution of conceptions of the soul and conscience in relation to the animal kingdom, and the consequences of our belief in human superiority. She explores our representation of animals in art, our consumption of them for food, our experiments on them for science, and our willingness to slaughter them for sport and fashion, as well as examining concepts of love and ownership.
Drawing on philosophy and theology, art and history, as well as her own experience of living with animals and coming to know, love and respect them as individuals, Woolfson examines some of the most complex ethical issues surrounding our treatment of animals and argues passionately and persuasively for a more humble, more humane, relationship with the creatures who share our world.
£20
For all the talk of an "animal turn," discussions of animals have today become so filled with jargon and political rhetoric that the creatures themselves often seem reduced to little more than rhetorical tropes. Between Light and Storm by Esther Woolfson is a book that can put the animals back in Animal Studies. The discussions in it are not only beautifully written and rich in historical detail but also filtered through personal reflection and experience. I know of no better introduction to the study of human-animal relations
Boria Sax, author of, Avian Illuminations: A Cultural History of Birds
Genial, readable, warm-hearted and on nature's side
Richard Mabey
Woolfson specialises in [...] demonstrating how little most people understand about creatures they think ordinary... her writing flows beautifully
