Take off the superiority of being born as a human being,
Understand, tolerate and love them.
Explore the most affectionate writings about animals and humanity in Taiwanese literature.
For a long time, animals have been alienated or marginalized in human "history". They are rare beasts, tool helpers, caring pets, food and prey, but not themselves.
Animals are never absent in human literary works. As human civilization progresses, ecological thoughts emerge. Guided by literature, 19 writers and scholars invite animals in the text context to take turns to appear. Using a chronological order, the book reviews animal writing in Taiwanese literature, from animals being used as tools, commodities, and symbols to becoming subjects; supplemented by a spatial perspective, it surveys the cultures of various ethnic groups, explores different types of themes, and encompasses the various forms of animals in artistic creation.
The various animal images, life portrayals, interactive emotions, and symbolic symbols in this book all reflect the existence and true state of humans and "others" - animals. When human beings learn to face everything equally, they can become better versions of themselves for the sake of things other than just being human.
Excerpt
How can one "become something other than human"? ...It is a vision that transcends anthropocentrism; it is also a vision that points to the post-human era, where the boundaries between humans and others are fluid; in addition, it also points to those lives that "become other than humans" under the great changes of nature. They also have emotions and personalities, and we live and die with them. ——Huang Zongjie｜Editor-in-Chief of this book
If literature can make us a little more humble and introspective, surrender and give in, see that all things have spirits, and understand human ignorance, we will be able to recognize that monsters are actually the incomplete selves that are formed by the intersection and twists and turns of various life forms in this life. Perhaps we will also understand that the unfathomable and deep gaze of the abyss has no intention of swallowing anyone. --Ke Yufen | Writer
About the Author
Cathy Huang / Editor
He holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from National Taiwan Normal University and is currently a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at National Tung Hwa University. He has long been concerned with animal issues, and his research areas include contemporary Taiwanese literature, Hong Kong literature, family writing, and animal writing.
Authors
Yu Meiling｜PhD in Chinese Literature from Chinese Culture University, currently professor and dean of the Department of Chinese at Feng Chia University.
Yang Cui | PhD in History from National Taiwan University, currently a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at National Tung Hwa University. Her research areas include aboriginal culture and literature, Taiwan history, Taiwanese women's history, Taiwanese women's literature, and gender culture-related issues.
Ma Yihang｜A member of the Puyuma tribe in Taitung, he grew up in Chihshang. His father is from the Kasavakan Jianhe tribe. He holds a PhD from the Institute of Taiwanese Literature at National Taiwan University and was the editor-in-chief of Young Lions Literature.
Li Xinlun | PhD in Chinese Literature from National Central University, currently an associate professor in the Department of Chinese Literature at National Central University. Her research areas include women's literature and contemporary Taiwanese novels.
Ye Chunzhi｜A native of Fucheng. He graduated from the Department of Journalism at National Chengchi University and has worked as a reporter and TV producer. His works include "Island Tracks", "Our Island", the novel "The Nether Core" and "Missing Weiwei: Searching for Tainan".
Liao Weitang｜Hong Kong poet, writer and photographer, winner of the Hong Kong Youth Literature Award, Hong Kong Chinese Literature Award, Taiwan China Times Literature Award, United Daily News Literature Award and Hong Kong Literature Biennial Award, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Award 2012 Artist of the Year (Literature). He currently lives in Taiwan.
Xiao Yiling | Doctor of Literature from National Taiwan Normal University, currently a professor in the Department of Chinese at National Chung Cheng University. Her research areas are modern novels, modern prose, literary aesthetics and trends.
Fan Yiru is from Yilan, Taiwan. She holds a PhD from the Institute of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan Normal University and is currently a full-time professor at the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan Normal University. His research areas include Ming and Qing literature, space and literature, and reportage literature.
Lin Kai-lun｜A native of Taichung, he is a real fishmonger and writer who is a member of the Imaginary Friends Writing Club. He dropped out of the Graduate School of National Chiao Tung University and began to emerge in the Taiwanese literary world in 2020. He has won the 2020 Lin Rongsan Literature Award for Short Stories, the Taipei Literature Award, and the Taichung Literature Award. In 2022, his first book, The Fake Fishmonger’s Guide, was published.
Gong Zhuojun｜Born in Chiayi, Taiwan, he holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from National Taiwan University and is currently an associate professor at the Institute of Art Creation Theory at Tainan University of the Arts. His main research areas are phenomenology and contemporary French philosophy. He has long been concerned with issues related to body philosophy, aesthetics, folk art, and contemporary art curatorship and criticism.
Xiaoxiang God | His real name is Luo Chuanqiao, he is a writer, reality game designer, member of Taipei Local Strange Stories Studio, a master's student in the Oriental Studies Department of the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, and specializes in Confucianism. A proponent of the theory of human goodness. Interested in anthropology, folklore, urban development, brain science, etc.
Lin Wanxuan | PhD in Foreign Languages and Literatures from National Taiwan University. Her doctoral dissertation uses the concept of tuber in Deleuze's philosophy as a theoretical framework, breaking away from the common military metaphors, dismantling the common military metaphors used in general discussions of the epidemic, and exploring the physical and mental exchanges between humans and viruses.
Zong Hui | Professor of Foreign Languages and Literature at National Taiwan University. His research expertise includes psychoanalysis, literary theory, and animal studies.
He Manzhuang｜Born in Taipei, she is the author of "The Big Zoo", "Sometimes Dancing New York", etc. She currently lives in New York City, USA.
Luo Shengwen｜Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering of National Taiwan University and received a Master's degree in Photography from the Akademie voor Kunst en Vormgeving St.Joost in the Netherlands. His works focus on the relationship between African creatures and contemporary society, often using media such as video, photography, video games, sound and installation to try to induce discussion.
Qiu Zhenglun｜A person who has twelve cats and four dogs at home. I worked hard at writing, reading and teaching just to help them buy cans. I hope that animals in this world can be more valued and life can be better understood.
Lu Yue｜Currently a doctoral student at the Institute of Taiwanese Literature at National Taiwan University. He has been focusing on research related to nature-oriented literature and ecocriticism for many years. In recent years, he has been thinking more about the possibility of applying theories such as the Anthropocene and the new material turn to the study of nature-oriented literature in Taiwan, and has tried to conduct cross-disciplinary collaborations with the fields of performing arts and digital arts.
Chen Wenlin｜Graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature at National Dong Hwa University. A clerk at Hualien Time Bookstore and a store clerk at Double Cats. I like books and visiting bookstores.
Lin Yiling｜Graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at National Dong Hwa University, currently works as a full-time project assistant at the Ministry of Education.