Talking (for, with) Dogs: Science Fiction Breaks a Species Barrier.

This article is part of my ongoing study of a figure I call the amborg, which represents the interface between species in a variety of ways. One way in which humans and other animals interact is through the attempt to communicate, and we try most sincerely, perhaps, in the human/dog relationship. Th...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Science Fiction Studies Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 456 - 466
Autor principal: Gordon, Joan
Formato: Literary Criticism
Publicado: University of California Press Nov2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=55190568&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: hlh
    uiTerm: 55190568
    longDbName: Humanities International Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00917729
        SFS
      jtl: Science Fiction Studies
      issn: 00917729
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Nov2010
      vid: 37
      iid: 3
      pid: 414
      pub: University of California Press
    artinfo:
      ui:
        55190568
        10.1525/sfs.37.3.0456
      ppf: 456
      ppct: 10
      formats:
        fmt:
          @attributes:
            type: P
            size: 611KB
      tig:
        atl: Talking (for, with) Dogs: Science Fiction Breaks a Species Barrier.
      aug:
        au: Gordon, Joan
        affil: Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York
      su:
        City (Book : Simak)
        Companions, The (Book)
        Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change, The (Book)
        Simak, Clifford D., 1904-1988
        Tepper, Sheri S., 1929-2016
        Johnson, Kij
        Subaltern
      sug:
        subj:
          City (Book : Simak)
          Companions, The (Book)
          Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change, The (Book)
          Simak, Clifford D., 1904-1988
          Tepper, Sheri S., 1929-2016
          Johnson, Kij
          Subaltern
      ab: This article is part of my ongoing study of a figure I call the amborg, which represents the interface between species in a variety of ways. One way in which humans and other animals interact is through the attempt to communicate, and we try most sincerely, perhaps, in the human/dog relationship. This attempt is explored in a number of science fiction stories, where scientific extrapolation and subjunctive "what if" speculation allow us to overhear how that communication might occur. The result sometimes reflects genuine grappling with questions of authority, otherness, consciousness, and embodiment. Working with Gayatri Spivak's concept of the subaltern and Donna Haraway's companion species, but also the observations and conclusions of animal ethologists, I look at three sf works: Clifford Simak's "City" (1952), Sheri S. Tepper's "The Companions" (2003), and Kij Johnson's "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" (2007). I explore ways in which sf allows writers to speculate on how species communicate, resulting in what Haraway might see as figurative interspecies epigenesis: not the speech of the subaltern, but speaking between "alterns." To imagine this possibility is to break down one of the most common differentiations between the human (as unique possessor of language) and the separate, inferior category of animal, instead offering a more generous definition of language itself and a more observant description of the ways in which humans and other animal beings communicate with one another.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Literary Criticism
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: Y
      custom: Copyright of Science Fiction Studies is the property of University of California Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
      item: Science Fiction Studies
      holder: University of California Press
      dt:
        @attributes:
          year: 2010
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N