Joan Gordon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Joan Gordon
Papers by Joan Gordon
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Sep 12, 2013
When I was in Yokohama this summer I made sure to observe the dogs, since I knew I would be revie... more When I was in Yokohama this summer I made sure to observe the dogs, since I knew I would be reviewing Aaron Skabelund's Empire of Dogs: Canines, Japan, and the Making of the Modern Imperial World. In fact, the book was my airplane reading for the trip to and from Japan. Here is what I saw. A brown toy poodle who had been trimmed to look like a teddy bear riding around in a baby carriage-teddy bear poodles are all the rage, apparently. A long-haired dachshund on a hot day in a Union Jack coat. A nasty Yorkshire terrier that loved one member of a family and growled at and bit the rest. A pet shop that sold miniature dogs, and lots and lots of pet clothes, but no toys. Here's what I did not see: Akitas, Shiba inus, or any other "Japanese" breeds of dogs (except for a picture of what was maybe a Kishu inu (white, fluffy, spitz-like) advertising a cell phone company). These observations supported Aaron Skabelund's claim that "dogs not only became pets, they were more than ever transformed into products" in postwar Japan (172).
Science Fiction Studies, 2011
Sherryl Vint’s Animal Alterity continues the project of her previous book Bodies of Tomorrow: Tec... more Sherryl Vint’s Animal Alterity continues the project of her previous book Bodies of Tomorrow: Technology, Subjectivity, Science Fiction (2007). Where the first book explored the technological posthuman, the new one looks at the biological posthuman. Animal Alterity, like the earlier book, is concerned with the ethical implications of expanding the circle of subject beings; it could have been subtitled Animals, Subjectivity, Science Fiction instead of Science Fiction and the Question of the Animal. Also like the previous volume, the new book is distinguished by its rigorous coverage of scholarship in cultural studies, philosophy, and science fiction, and by its use of a wide range of relevant sf. Indeed, one of the great values of Animal Alterity is its bibliography, and I look forward to mining it for my own work. The book itself has a great deal to offer scholars in both Human-Animal Studies (HAS) and science fiction, fields that have, I believe along with Vint, a symbiotic relationship. The volume is organized into an introduction, eight chapters, and a conclusion, offering a thorough overview of the many ways in which the sf-HAS hybrid functions. The introduction, “Animal Alterity: Science Fiction and Human-Animal Studies,” establishes the link between HAS and science fiction. Vint points out that while sf representations of animals “can provide insight into the way the discourse of species informs other ideologies at work, ... some sf texts themselves perform the work of HAS, striving to gesture beyond normative conceptions of animal and human being” (8). The introduction makes clear that Vint’s focus throughout will be ethical, and that this approach will take into account materiality—as in embodiment and as in dialectical materialism. “In reconnecting with animals,” she says, “we are also reconnecting with our embodied being, with what might be thought of as our animal nature; this new way of conceptualising human subjectivity and our relation with the rest of the living world thus has important affinities with scholarship on posthumanism” (9). Furthermore, “resistance to the biopolitical regime of neo-liberal capitalism requires acknowledging the degree to which species difference has been foundational in structuring the liberal institutions one might wish to contest” (17). Typical of the work as a whole, Vint’s book demonstrates solid theoretical foundations for her position, as when she points out that:
Dis-Orienting Planets, 2017
Science Fiction Studies, 2020
Science Fiction Studies, 2017
Science Fiction Studies, 2019
Extrapolation, 1988
Typologie du vampire dans l'oeuvre de S. McKee Charnas, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, Jody Scott, Ch... more Typologie du vampire dans l'oeuvre de S. McKee Charnas, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, Jody Scott, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Michael Talbot
Science Fiction Studies, 2015
Science Fiction Studies, 2011
Storming the Reality Studio, 1992
Science Fiction Studies, 2012
Science Fiction Studies, 2014
Humanimalia, 2010
The March 2009 PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) devotes over 100 pages to t... more The March 2009 PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) devotes over 100 pages to the convergence of animal studies and literature. Just as the May 2004 issue that devoted itself to the "Special Topic: 'Science Fiction and Literary Studies: The Next Millennium'" marked a certain juncture at which the grand old dame of American literary scholarship nodded in recognition of sf, so too does the issue under review here acknowledge her approval of this growing field of study. There are differences, of course. The sf issue was devoted entirely to its "Special Topic," while in the present issue "theories and methodologies: Animal Studies" must share room with a "Victorian Cluster," and another "theories and methodologies: Medieval Studies in the Twenty-First Century." If typeface is any indication, Clusters and Special Topics, which are capitalized, are more significant than theories and methodologies, which are not. Apparently, then, the field of animal studies and literature has not yet received full approval of this particular arbiter: certainly, it has not yet had time to develop such a vast repository of criticism as sf had before receiving its nod. On the other hand, the special issue on science fiction, "coordinated" by Marleen S. Barr and Carl Freedman, was not so successful as its luminary line-up of contributors might promise, and its cover, which included an actual bug-eyed monster, did nothing to advance sf's seriousness of purpose in academe. The relatively modest offering on animal studies offers more rigorous thinking, on the whole, and has a perfectly splendid cover, in the form of a detail of an "ex libris" from 1407, lush with animal imagery.
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Feb 2, 2014
Animal Viewpoints in the Contact Zone of Adam Hines's Duncan the Wonder Dog "No animal confirms m... more Animal Viewpoints in the Contact Zone of Adam Hines's Duncan the Wonder Dog "No animal confirms man, either positively or negatively." (Berger 5) "It is a significant fact, that the more the habits of any particular animal are studied by a naturalist, the more he attributes to reason, and the less to unlearnt instincts." (Darwin 46
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Sep 17, 2011
and has a specialty in 18 th-century English literature with interests in gender, race, and imper... more and has a specialty in 18 th-century English literature with interests in gender, race, and imperialism. Homeless Dogs and Melancholy Apes is, then, a literary examination of the roles of these two animals primarily in 18 thcentury English literature as it works through matters of gender, race, and imperialism. The preface tells us that the book arose from an undergraduate seminar on "The Idea of the Pet in Literature and History" (ix), and perhaps for this reason, or perhaps because Brown prefers it, the book is written in a very clear and direct style. The preface also asks "Which literary animal most fully expresses the raw alterity of animal-kind? Which are most evidently people in animal suits?" (ix). At least for the purposes of this volume, the answer to each question is: dogs and apes.
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Sep 12, 2013
When I was in Yokohama this summer I made sure to observe the dogs, since I knew I would be revie... more When I was in Yokohama this summer I made sure to observe the dogs, since I knew I would be reviewing Aaron Skabelund's Empire of Dogs: Canines, Japan, and the Making of the Modern Imperial World. In fact, the book was my airplane reading for the trip to and from Japan. Here is what I saw. A brown toy poodle who had been trimmed to look like a teddy bear riding around in a baby carriage-teddy bear poodles are all the rage, apparently. A long-haired dachshund on a hot day in a Union Jack coat. A nasty Yorkshire terrier that loved one member of a family and growled at and bit the rest. A pet shop that sold miniature dogs, and lots and lots of pet clothes, but no toys. Here's what I did not see: Akitas, Shiba inus, or any other "Japanese" breeds of dogs (except for a picture of what was maybe a Kishu inu (white, fluffy, spitz-like) advertising a cell phone company). These observations supported Aaron Skabelund's claim that "dogs not only became pets, they were more than ever transformed into products" in postwar Japan (172).
Science Fiction Studies, 2011
Sherryl Vint’s Animal Alterity continues the project of her previous book Bodies of Tomorrow: Tec... more Sherryl Vint’s Animal Alterity continues the project of her previous book Bodies of Tomorrow: Technology, Subjectivity, Science Fiction (2007). Where the first book explored the technological posthuman, the new one looks at the biological posthuman. Animal Alterity, like the earlier book, is concerned with the ethical implications of expanding the circle of subject beings; it could have been subtitled Animals, Subjectivity, Science Fiction instead of Science Fiction and the Question of the Animal. Also like the previous volume, the new book is distinguished by its rigorous coverage of scholarship in cultural studies, philosophy, and science fiction, and by its use of a wide range of relevant sf. Indeed, one of the great values of Animal Alterity is its bibliography, and I look forward to mining it for my own work. The book itself has a great deal to offer scholars in both Human-Animal Studies (HAS) and science fiction, fields that have, I believe along with Vint, a symbiotic relationship. The volume is organized into an introduction, eight chapters, and a conclusion, offering a thorough overview of the many ways in which the sf-HAS hybrid functions. The introduction, “Animal Alterity: Science Fiction and Human-Animal Studies,” establishes the link between HAS and science fiction. Vint points out that while sf representations of animals “can provide insight into the way the discourse of species informs other ideologies at work, ... some sf texts themselves perform the work of HAS, striving to gesture beyond normative conceptions of animal and human being” (8). The introduction makes clear that Vint’s focus throughout will be ethical, and that this approach will take into account materiality—as in embodiment and as in dialectical materialism. “In reconnecting with animals,” she says, “we are also reconnecting with our embodied being, with what might be thought of as our animal nature; this new way of conceptualising human subjectivity and our relation with the rest of the living world thus has important affinities with scholarship on posthumanism” (9). Furthermore, “resistance to the biopolitical regime of neo-liberal capitalism requires acknowledging the degree to which species difference has been foundational in structuring the liberal institutions one might wish to contest” (17). Typical of the work as a whole, Vint’s book demonstrates solid theoretical foundations for her position, as when she points out that:
Dis-Orienting Planets, 2017
Science Fiction Studies, 2020
Science Fiction Studies, 2017
Science Fiction Studies, 2019
Extrapolation, 1988
Typologie du vampire dans l'oeuvre de S. McKee Charnas, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, Jody Scott, Ch... more Typologie du vampire dans l'oeuvre de S. McKee Charnas, Anne Rice, Tanith Lee, Jody Scott, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Michael Talbot
Science Fiction Studies, 2015
Science Fiction Studies, 2011
Storming the Reality Studio, 1992
Science Fiction Studies, 2012
Science Fiction Studies, 2014
Humanimalia, 2010
The March 2009 PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) devotes over 100 pages to t... more The March 2009 PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) devotes over 100 pages to the convergence of animal studies and literature. Just as the May 2004 issue that devoted itself to the "Special Topic: 'Science Fiction and Literary Studies: The Next Millennium'" marked a certain juncture at which the grand old dame of American literary scholarship nodded in recognition of sf, so too does the issue under review here acknowledge her approval of this growing field of study. There are differences, of course. The sf issue was devoted entirely to its "Special Topic," while in the present issue "theories and methodologies: Animal Studies" must share room with a "Victorian Cluster," and another "theories and methodologies: Medieval Studies in the Twenty-First Century." If typeface is any indication, Clusters and Special Topics, which are capitalized, are more significant than theories and methodologies, which are not. Apparently, then, the field of animal studies and literature has not yet received full approval of this particular arbiter: certainly, it has not yet had time to develop such a vast repository of criticism as sf had before receiving its nod. On the other hand, the special issue on science fiction, "coordinated" by Marleen S. Barr and Carl Freedman, was not so successful as its luminary line-up of contributors might promise, and its cover, which included an actual bug-eyed monster, did nothing to advance sf's seriousness of purpose in academe. The relatively modest offering on animal studies offers more rigorous thinking, on the whole, and has a perfectly splendid cover, in the form of a detail of an "ex libris" from 1407, lush with animal imagery.
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Feb 2, 2014
Animal Viewpoints in the Contact Zone of Adam Hines's Duncan the Wonder Dog "No animal confirms m... more Animal Viewpoints in the Contact Zone of Adam Hines's Duncan the Wonder Dog "No animal confirms man, either positively or negatively." (Berger 5) "It is a significant fact, that the more the habits of any particular animal are studied by a naturalist, the more he attributes to reason, and the less to unlearnt instincts." (Darwin 46
Humanimalia - a journal of human/animal interface studies, Sep 17, 2011
and has a specialty in 18 th-century English literature with interests in gender, race, and imper... more and has a specialty in 18 th-century English literature with interests in gender, race, and imperialism. Homeless Dogs and Melancholy Apes is, then, a literary examination of the roles of these two animals primarily in 18 thcentury English literature as it works through matters of gender, race, and imperialism. The preface tells us that the book arose from an undergraduate seminar on "The Idea of the Pet in Literature and History" (ix), and perhaps for this reason, or perhaps because Brown prefers it, the book is written in a very clear and direct style. The preface also asks "Which literary animal most fully expresses the raw alterity of animal-kind? Which are most evidently people in animal suits?" (ix). At least for the purposes of this volume, the answer to each question is: dogs and apes.
2. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: Csicsery-Ronay, Jr. Istvan. The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction. Middlet... more 2. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: Csicsery-Ronay, Jr. Istvan. The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP. 2008. Evans, Arthur, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Joan Gordon et. al. The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP. 2010. Tidhar, Lavie. The Apex Book of World SF, Vol. 1. Lexington, KY: Apex, 2009. Tidhar, Lavie. The Apex Book of World SF, Vol. 3. Lexington, KY: Apex, 2014.