Xenofiction (animal perspective)

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Anybody read xenofiction?

Xenofiction is the proper term for stories told from an animal perspective. Of course this raises lots of problems of classifications, since there's different ways to anthropomorphize an animal. At one hypothetical extreme you may have stories that are, whether fiction or nonfiction, literally just books about a creature doing normal creature things. Dogs are probably the ones most commonly used for that. Then, on the other extreme you have stuff (like you see in kid's cartoons) where the animals look like people except for a tail or some ears and just go around doing people things. And in between, everything else.

So, let's say xenofiction can maybe be split into "soft" and "hard" (like sci fi) with the hard stuff being more accurate to animal behavior and anatomy. See, most xenofiction is kid's books and is very soft, but there are some hard books out there and books with adult themes (not in the sense of sex, drugs, and violence, necessarily, but written like something an adult would read).

The king of it is probably Richard Adams, who wrote "Watership Down" and "The Plague Dogs," both of which were adapted into infamous cartoons (along with "Felidae," but Felidae is WAY more soft). Adams work is especially interesting because he often plays with the idea of what spirituality would look like in animals, and he tries to explain the world through thinking and dialogue that is like something a human would say, but takes in mind the constraints of animals. In Watership Down, a prophet-rabbit has visions of disaster and leads a party away from their warren, which turns out to be destroyed to put in a housing development. The rabbits have their own mythology based around a trickster rabbit, but have mental limitations like not being able to count past four. In The Plague Dogs, dogs escape from an animal experimentation lab; one of them has visions/mental illness episodes from brain experiments. Both are incredibly grim, and while the latter one is more explicitly a political message (Adams was an animal rights activist), the former always stuck with me since childhood for how it portrays a very mundane (to human eyes) event - the building of new housing - as an apocalyptic event for the animals it displaced. I don't know if it was Adams' intention, but it's a reminder of the cost of existence: even vegans live lives at the expense of other creatures competing for the same soil.

Another book I read recently, in large part because I'm interested in trying creative writing again and wanted to do something similar with ants, is "The Bees." In The Bees, the story is basically just that some bees, facing a very difficult Winter and sickness in the hive, overthrow their queen, a hybrid (I believe implied to be Africanized) lays a princess that launches a coup, and they migrate to a new location. It's a very mundane bee story - shit that happens all the time out in nature - but is cast like a dystopian work, the totalitarian superorganism society against the individual. Despite that premise, it doesn't actually deviate far away from real bee behavior, as bees really are capable of challenging their queens.

Anyways, that's just some stuff I had to say on the topic. If anybody knows interesting books (in that "hard" category) from the perspective of cats, raccoons, elephants, or birds I'd be interested.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Ugh, the explanition is on point, but sounds like basically furfag fanfics.
Give a nice example of a well-done work from that shit at least to give it a try.
And not, Metamorphosis isn't considered in that genre, that's for sure.

 

[awoo]

I'm a wolf awooooooooo !!

 

[Ultrapenguin]

I think part of what makes people associate anthropomorphized animals with children's stories is that adults tend to be a little pedantic. They'll pick stories apart because they recognize the logistical issues of anthropomorphizing animals.

Obviously there are things like Animal Farm, but usually those are understood to be almost entirely allegorical.
Personally that's where my issue arises: when we've got one foot in allegory and one in realism. Rabbits can't count past 4 but they can create mythologies and pass knowledge and social roles down through generations? Animals wouldn't have spirituality because they don't have any way of transferring information to each other, they don't have thumbs to write, they don't have linguistic centers or complex vocal chords, they don't live long enough to accrue or pass wisdom...

The delineation between animal and human is always arbitrary and seems to shift based upon whatever the author finds expedient at any given time. It doesn't necessarily ruin stories, there's a lot of value in emotional storytelling, but what's the purpose for using animals instead of humans unless there's a specific thematic relevance to it?

I'm a wolf awooooooooo !!

I personally prefer @Coyotism's portrayal as a hyper-religious autistic member of the canidae family. How the hell do anime animal girls even work? Do they have 4 ear canals and exceptional directional hearing? Do their upper ear canals go right through their skull? Where are the muscles that let them move their upper ears? The whole thing seems very silly.

 

[Uzumaki]

elephants

The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Ugh, the explanition is on point, but sounds like basically furfag fanfics.
Give a nice example of a well-done work from that shit at least to give it a try.
And not, Metamorphosis isn't considered in that genre, that's for sure.

I'm a wolf awooooooooo !!

Furfags are like way on the opposite end of what I was talking about, though. As in, literal people with a tail. The books I mentioned are more like, literal dog or rabbit or bee, doing dog/rabbit/bee things, but it's written in human language.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

I think part of what makes people associate anthropomorphized animals with children's stories is that adults tend to be a little pedantic. They'll pick stories apart because they recognize the logistical issues of anthropomorphizing animals.

Obviously there are things like Animal Farm, but usually those are understood to be almost entirely allegorical.
Personally that's where my issue arises: when we've got one foot in allegory and one in realism. Rabbits can't count past 4 but they can create mythologies and pass knowledge and social roles down through generations? Animals wouldn't have spirituality because they don't have any way of transferring information to each other, they don't have thumbs to write, they don't have linguistic centers or complex vocal chords, they don't live long enough to accrue or pass wisdom...

The delineation between animal and human is always arbitrary and seems to shift based upon whatever the author finds expedient at any given time. It doesn't necessarily ruin stories, there's a lot of value in emotional storytelling, but what's the purpose for using animals instead of humans unless there's a specific thematic relevance to it?


I personally prefer @Coyotism's portrayal as a hyper-religious autistic member of the canidae family. How the hell do anime animal girls even work? Do they have 4 ear canals and exceptional directional hearing? Do their upper ear canals go right through their skull? Where are the muscles that let them move their upper ears? The whole thing seems very silly.

To me, the inconsistencies are just the price of admission. I don't consider it much worse than the suspension of disbelief inherent in science fiction or fantasy. I get what you mean, though.

The appeal, to me, is the challenge of writing an animal perspective, and the potential (you see the same in historical fiction and the above-mentioned science fiction and fantasy) of exploring a very different world, especially the many ways animals act like humans.

The part about animal and human shifting is a problem, and it's one that gets worse the more alien the animal is. In "The Bees," for example, real world bees communicate and think primarily through smell. That was part of the draw for me, how does somebody even try to write a book from the perspective of our least-used sense? The answer was badly, sometimes the author would make reference to smell and dance but more often they just talk. And then much of the descriptions of things sounded like normal nature, but every now and then there'd be a reference to some very human object like a bed or a helmet which seems really out of place, like the bee is a literal bee that flies around and eats pollen and all that, but then randomly you have some horseshit like that appear.

 

[awoo]

How the hell do anime animal girls even work?

The character is based on Japanese mythological white wolf tengu. So your answer is: it's not an actual animal, it's an already anthropomorphized spirit or something, so you can make up whatever you like without worrying about anatomy. And some people choose their usernames to reflect some aspect of themselves but if I changed it to be more like me it would be a lazy cat or something.

 

[Chocolate Wombat]

I'm a wolf awooooooooo !!

Awooooo?

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Ugh, the explanition is on point, but sounds like basically furfag fanfics.
Give a nice example of a well-done work from that shit at least to give it a try.
And not, Metamorphosis isn't considered in that genre, that's for sure.

"Watership Down" I read and is good.
"The Plague Dogs" I watched (and started reading) and its well-regarded.
"The Call of the Wild" is pretty famous (sled dog perspective) and "A Dog's Purpose" is another one.

 

[Kosher Dill]

There's "Raptor Red", which seems to be for dinosaur furfags. Dinofags for short.

 

[Registration]

Read this lads, it is really good

 

[Certified_Autist]

Never heard of the word "xenofiction" but I have read a series that fits your description: the Warriors saga, by Erin Hunter. It's about several tribes of feral cats living in the forest, called "clans" in the story. It's mostly a "realistic" perspective, a bit like Watership Down. The series is a cross-section of their entire society over multiple generations, with family drama, territorial feuds, power struggles within clans, threats from humans and extreme weather, and even a sort of spiritualist religion based on ancestor worship (the religion part is the only bit that drifts into the fantasy realm). The perspective jumps around to different characters so you can see the story progress from multiple perspectives.

And the story is multigenerational too. No idea if the series is still being produced, but the first books were written in the early 2000s and by the time I stopped following the series in the mid-2010s the main cast were the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original main cast from the first series. There were also a couple of manga spin-offs and a prequel series too.

Edit: I haven't touched the Warriors books in years, so no idea if it aged well or not. But I recall really liking it at the time, and it does seem to fit the "xenofiction" niche you discussed in your post.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Never heard of the word "xenofiction" but I have read a series that fits your description: the Warriors saga, by Erin Hunter. It's about several tribes of feral cats living in the forest, called "clans" in the story. It's mostly a "realistic" perspective, a bit like Watership Down. The series is a cross-section of their entire society over multiple generations, with family drama, territorial feuds, power struggles within clans, threats from humans and extreme weather, and even a sort of spiritualist religion based on ancestor worship (the religion part is the only bit that drifts into the fantasy realm). The perspective jumps around to different characters so you can see the story progress from multiple perspectives.

And the story is multigenerational too. No idea if the series is still being produced, but the first books were written in the early 2000s and by the time I stopped following the series in the mid-2010s the main cast were the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original main cast from the first series. There were also a couple of manga spin-offs and a prequel series too.

Edit: I haven't touched the Warriors books in years, so no idea if it aged well or not. But I recall really liking it at the time, and it does seem to fit the "xenofiction" niche you discussed in your post.

I read Warrior Cats when I was a kid. It's xenofiction, and it's good from a literary perspective (for a kids series), but it takes some huge liberties with cat society; as I understand, Hunter didn't know much about cats and started writing it because a friend asked him to do something with cats. The big thing is that his cats act like lions, as I remember? They live in big groups with males and females together and hierarchies and all that. Real cat societies act more like a cluster of females (queens) that live together in a hierarchy-less society, queens sometimes take care of each other's kittens but more like they just inhabit a space together than cooperating (in the way a wolf pack would cooperate). Males (toms) live independently on the outskirts of the queens' territory and fight each other, very violently. I think the fight between toms during heat would be real good material for a book.

View attachment 3245826

"Engaged daily in vastly complex political struggle for dominance of immense territory, has killed numerous rivals on his path towards hegemony."

That's the spirit of what I was talking about, not the furry shit you faggots jerk off to. The riveting drama of nature.

 

[HeraldofNurgle]

I think one book in this category that influenced me quite a bit growing up was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. It's of course, about horses, and I've always liked horses. But this was also an introduction to just how fucked up and cruel people can be to their animals, even when said animal cannot understand why nobody seems to empathize with their pain. Near the end of the book, we see that the working poor is treated just as horribly as the horses are and the parallels can be drawn between both the de-humanization of what are considered undesirable people and the willful exploitation and lack of care for the animals they are compared to. Really, it was a sobering reality to learn when I was very young, and it honestly did color my outlook on both people and animal welfare for the rest of my life.

It may not count, but another favorite is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a short story from the Jungle Book. It's from the perspective of a mongoose battling cobras.

 

[Sealbaby]

I got OpenAi Playground to (attempt to) write me an animal fantasy story. You guys might find it amusing.

Spoiler: Ryi and the Beastmaster

It all started when humans and talking beasts began sharing their cities. Then one day, it was as if all the beasts had gone mad. Ships were attacked and sunk, armies were slaughtered without mercy. The world was plunged into chaos.

The humans and beasts had always been sworn enemies, but now it seemed that the beasts were determined to wipe out humanity entirely.

As the humans fought back, they began to realise that the beasts were being controlled by someone, or something. They had to find out who, or what, was behind this madness, and put a stop to it before it was too late. That's where I come in.

I'm a human, but I have the ability to transform into any animal I want. I can fly like an eagle, swim like a fish, run like a cheetah. I can even breathe fire like a dragon.

I'm the only one who can stop this. I'm the only one who can save humanity.

My name is Ryi. And I'm a Beastmaster. But there's one problem.

I'm not sure if I can trust myself with this power. The power to destroy everything. The power to save everyone. It's a lot of pressure. And I'm not sure if I'm up to the task. So I'll have to try. I have to try. For the sake of humanity. For the sake of the world.

"Sounds pretty gay," I muttered as I put the book back on the shelf.

"What was that?"

I jumped at the voice, turning to see the librarian staring at me. "Oh, uh, nothing," I said quickly. "Just, uh, talking to myself."

The librarian gave me a suspicious look but didn't say anything. I turned back to the shelves, trying to find something else to read.

Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. "Find the book," it said. "Find the book and save the world."

I frowned, shaking my head. It sounded like a kid's voice. A little girl's voice.

I looked around, but there was no one there.

"Find the book," the voice said again.

I sighed, picking out a book at random and heading to the checkout desk. Maybe I was just going crazy. That would explain a lot. But I had to find out what was going on. I had to find that book. So I grabbed a pen and paper from my bag and wrote down the title.

"Beastmaster: Rise of the Beasts." Furries were seriously getting out of hand. When I was a kid, it was all about ninjas and pirates. Now it was all talking animals and magical creatures.

I checked out the book and headed home, my mind racing with possibilities. Maybe this was all just a big joke and the book was just some stupid fanfiction. But what if it wasn't? What if the voice was real and I was the only one who could stop the beasts?

I had to find out. I had to read the book. Thankfully, it was a quick read. And by the time I finished, I knew what I had to do.

I had to find the author. Xe needed to know what was going on. Xe needed to help me stop the beasts.

But first, I had to find a way to transform into an animal. First, I had to become a Beastmaster. To do that, I would need to find a magical creature known as a Fyral. And to find a Fyral, I would need to go on a quest.

A quest to save the world. "Wow, that is so cliched," I muttered to myself as I stood up from my desk.

But it was cliched for a reason. Because it was true. I was the only one who could stop the beasts. I was the only one who could save humanity.

And I was going to need all the help I could get. Suddenly, the pressure I was feeling was no longer just from the voice in my head. It was from the whole world.

Everyone was depending on me. And I couldn't fail. I wouldn't fail.

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, my mind made up. I was going to find the author. Xe was going to help me save the world, but first, I had to find a way to transform into an animal. And to do that, I would need to find a Fyral. Thankfully, I had an idea of where to start looking in the dumpster behind the local comic book store. Beneath all the garbage there it was. The Fyral's card. It read:

"Come find me if you want to become a Beastmaster."

I knew what I had to do. I was going to find the author. But first, I had to find the Fyral. On the card, there was an address. I put it in my GPS and started walking. I had a feeling this was going to be a long quest. I started to run. Soon, I was sprinting as fast as I could. I had to find the Fyral. I had to become a Beastmaster. I had to save the world. Before long, I reached the address. It was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

I cautiously entered, looking around for any sign of the Fyral. Suddenly, I heard a noise from upstairs. I cautiously made my way up, my heart racing. I had a feeling I was about to meet the author.

And I was right. Xe was there, waiting for me.

"You're the Beastmaster?" Xe asked.

"I am," I replied. "And you're the author?"

Xe nodded. "I am. But I'm also something more. I'm a Fyral. And I can help you become a Beastmaster."

"How?" I asked.

"By giving you this," Xe said, handing me a card.

I looked down at it. It was a Beastmaster card. "With this card, you will be able to transform into any animal you want. But beware, the power comes with a price. You will be sworn to protect the world from the beasts. And if you fail, the world will be destroyed."

"I'm not afraid," I replied. "I'm ready to become a Beastmaster." Xe looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well," Xe said. "Close your eyes and focus on the animal you want to become."

I did as Xe said, picturing a lion in my mind. I felt my body begin to change and when I opened my eyes, I was a lion.

"Amazing," I said, looking down at my new body.

"Now, go forth and save the world, Beastmaster," Xe said.

And with that, my quest began. "Sounds like a cheap Animorphs rip off." I muttered to myself as I walked away. But I didn't care. I had a job to do. And I was going to do it. No matter what. "What the fuck are you going to do, then?" I asked myself. "Find the author of the book and ask Xem to help you save the world?" I shook my head. That sounded so stupid. But I had to try. I had to do something.

I walked back to the comic book store and dumpster dived for the book. "Beastmaster: Rise of the Beasts." I muttered as I pulled it out. I looked at the cover and sighed. I was really going to have to talk to the author about that title. It sounded so stupid. But I was still a lion, so I couldn't exactly go to the front door and ring the bell.

I would have to find another way. My paws began to twitch as I thought about it. Then, I had an idea. I would have to find the author's house and wait for Xem to come out. Then, I could follow Xem back to Xir house and talk to Xem there.

It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. I started walking, trying to remember the route to the author's house from the comic book store. It was a long walk, but I eventually found it. I sat down and waited, my mind racing with possibilities.

What if the author didn't live there anymore? What if Xe had moved?

What if Xe didn't want to talk to me?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I had to focus. I had to be patient. And eventually, my patience was rewarded.

The front door opened and the author walked out. I waited for a moment, making sure Xe was really gone. Then, I followed.

Xe didn't seem to suspect anything as I followed Xem home. Xe went inside and I waited for a moment before following.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice sounding strange to my own ears.

"Who's there?" The author called back, sounding worried.

"It's me, Ryi," I said, walking into the living room. "We need to talk about all this furry shit."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" The author asked, looking at me confused. "And how did you get in here?"

"The front door was unlocked," I said, shrugging. "And as for the furry shit, that's what I want to talk to you about. I'm a lion, in case you couldn't tell, and I've been stuck in this stupid comic book for months now. I want to know what the fuck is going on."

"Um, okay," the author said, still looking confused. "I'm not really sure what you're talking about, but I wrote the comic, so I guess I can answer some questions. What do you want to know?"

"Everything," I said. "I want to know why I'm a lion, why the other characters are animals, and what the fuck is going on in this story. I'm sick of being treated like a fucking side character."

"Okay, well, I can try to explain," the author said. "The comic is set in a world where humans have turned into animals. It's kind of like an alternate reality. As for why you're a lion, I chose that because I thought it would be cool. I didn't really think about it too much."

"So, it was just a random choice?" I asked, feeling angry. "I'm a fucking lion because you thought it would be cool? That's bullshit."

"I'm sorry," the author said, looking contrite. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to create a story that I thought people would enjoy. I never meant to hurt anyone's feelings."

"Well, you did," I said, my voice trembling. "I've been stuck in this comic for months, living in a world that isn't even real. I'm not a fucking lion, I'm a person. And I want to know how to change back."

"I don't know," the author said, shaking their head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to change you back. I don't even know if it's possible. I'm sorry."

I wanted to scream, to lash out at the author. But I knew it wouldn't do any good. Xe was just a person, trying to write a story. Xe didn't deserve my anger.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just, this isn't fair. I didn't ask for any of this."

"I know," the author said, looking sympathetic. "It's not fair. But I promise, I'll try to make it right. I'll write you a way out of the comic, I promise."

"Really?" I asked, hope rising in my chest.

"Yes, really," the author said. "I'll find a way to change you back, I promise."

I wanted to believe them, but I wasn't sure if I could. But it was something, at least. It was a way out of this comic book prison. Then xe logged off, leaving me alone in the furry chatroom.

I sat there for a long time, staring at the screen. I didn't know if I could believe the author, but xe was my only hope. I had to believe that xe would find a way to change me back.

Because if xe didn't, I was stuck as a lion forever. I'm not a furry, but I'm stuck in a furry comic. And that's just not right.

The author kept xir promise, and I was changed back into a human. I'm not sure how xe did it, but I'm just glad to be myself again.

I've learned my lesson, and I'll never go into a furry chatroom again. I've learned my lesson, and I'll never go into a furry chatroom again. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the author. They're still out there, making more furry comics for unsuspecting victims like me. So be careful, and don't make the same mistake I did. Or you might end up as a furry, too. That's not a fate I would wish on anyone. Or any animal, for that matter.

 

[WebLurker]

'The Secret of Nihm" - both the novel and the movie - would definitely fit this category. Especially the novel which steers away from the mysticism that was in the movie and goes more into the sci-fi. Both are great.

 

[eternal dog mongler]

The Cunning Little Vixen is a Czech opera and not a novel but it got the brutality and randomness of being an animal correct.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

So this was a real non-starter of a thread, but:

I finished The Plague Dogs book, and it is very good, but with some caveats.

The premise is that some dogs escape from an animal experimentation lab in Northern England and, due to a series of incidents that confirm their fear of humans, live off the land by kililng sheep. Cagey responses by the craven lab staff and sleezy yellow journalism result in a hysteria that the dogs are infected with bubonic plague, causing a manhunt for the dogs which, eventually, ends in a confrontation.

This is all done way better in the book, and that's pretty normal for books: they have more "space" to fit stuff in and can go into the thoughts of people. It seems like the movie pretty much cut out all of the human perspective, but I don't think you can do that with this story. The dogs are the main characters, but their story is really about animal experimentation (and the treatment of animals more generally) and media and government crookedness. There is a remarkable timeliness to it; Fauci's dog flea torture experiments would fit in with the research labs' agenda, government scientists fuck up repeatedly through their refusal to show any transparency or acknowledge problems, and there are even cracks about journalists fearmongering about environmental concerns (in the book, air pollution; nowadays, anthropogenic global warming). The ending is also very different, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. The book feels like a hopeless, desperate story of things getting worse and worse, but in the end things come together and there's a crowd-pleasing ending where things are set right. The movie doesn't have that rescue, it just ends with one of those tear-jerkers. It feels more tonally consistent, but it's not more enjoyable, you know? I don't know which I prefer artistically. The book also, hilariously, has an epilogue where some characters discuss some of the issues with conservation and one of them shits on the author's previous books.

As far as the writing style goes, it's got what I think of as an old English feeling, like it reads like other old books by English authors. The writing style is sometimes good - the author's sarcastic contempt for the humans works well - but it's prone to overexplaining and talking directly to the reader and is at once both florid and boring. I really struggled with it for the first third, maybe, and it nearly killed my attempt to read it although I am glad I finished it. The author also makes heavy use of regional Northern English dialect, which is done very well and is also used metaphorically (the wilder an animal is, the more regionally it speaks).

Being a Richard Adams book, you do get some play with the idea of animal spirituality and altered states of consciousness. Playing with a real-life experiment, one of Adams' dog characters suffers from a brain surgery that muddles his ability to distinguish the objective and subjective. This manifests itself as frequent hallucinations, circling thoughts. The dog babbles in a stream-of-consciousness that becomes increasingly deranged but also beautifully poetic, and a point comes when the dog begins to develop God delusions (belief that he can manipulate the world around him with his thoughts). It's darkly compelling.

Some books are what I think of as "philosophical" books, in that the author uses their narrative to explore certain concepts or worldviews. All of Ayn Rand's work is like that, and Robert Heinlein does it really well in Starship Troopers for expressing his attitude towards things like civic responsibility, militarism, law and order, and such. I consider this a philosophical book, because it is very much written to make you think about the author's mindset towards animals. It happened that he has a few passages, one of them rather beautiful, that lay out ideas I'd already formed. Richard Adams likes to use mythology in his works, and in particular he has one myth that the insane dog tells that serves a creation story (one of those where a god creates man, man keeps fucking up, and then god punishes man), which has these haunting passages:

"The star dog thought about that and in the end he said, 'This is how we'll fix it. You shall have plenty of intelligence - almost as much as I have, and as well as that I'll give you hands, with fingers and thumbs, and that's more than I've got myself. And of course you shall have a mate, like all the other animals. Now, look, you can make reasonable use of the animals, and part of your job will be to control them as well. I mean, if one kind starts getting to be too many and harming or hindering the others by eating all the food or hunting htem down beyond what's reasonable, you must thin that kind out until there's the right number again. And you can kill what animals you need - not too many - for food and clothing and so on. But I want you to remember all the time that if I've made you the most powerful animal it's so that you can look after the others - help them to do the best they can for themselves, see they're not wasted and so on. You're in charge of the world. You must try to act with dignity, like me. Don't go doing anything mean or senseless.'"

"Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed above every beast of hte field. They will continue to live their lives as before, without reflection or regret, and I will speak to them in their hearts, in hearing and in scent and instinct and in the bright light of hteir perception of the moment. But from you I shall turn away for ever, and you will spend the rest of your days wondering what is right and looking for the truth that I shall conceal from you and infuse instead into the lion's leap and the assurance of the rose. You are no longer fit to look after the animals. Hencofrth you shall be subject to injustice, murder and death, like them; and unlike them, you shall be so full of confusion that you shall loathe even your brother's and sister's bodily fluids and excretions. Now get out of my sight."

And, coming from a human army officer explaining why he feels bad for the dogs: "It just occurs to me that creatures living entirely in the immediate present, through their physical senses, may suffer more rather than less intensely than we do."

I dislike the cult of environmentalism that prioritizes animal life over everything, and see human life as being symbiotic with animals. I also hate the attitude of many people - in my experience, usually religious Christians - who see animals as resources to exploit mindlessly. To me, when you take control of nature you become morally responsible for it; eating meat, for example, is acceptable, but carries with it a responsibility to provide a good life for the animal that you eat. And I'm very skeptical of people assuming that animals don't feel pain/fear/suffering as intensely just because they can't verbalize their feelings, for the exact reason Adams gives. Retards and children feel emotion intensely. Complex thought enables more complex emotions, but it also dulls emotions, allows processing them, you might say. It is naive to suppose that because a creature has less understanding of its environment that means that it is a husk.

So overall, I highly recommend the book, I have a small list I'm building of books that I wish were taught in schools (for the interesting ideas in them) and this is going on it.

Age-wise, it's a book for high schoolers and adults, I'd say, it's definitely too mature (in concept) for grade schoolers. Not because of gore or anyhting but because I don't think a little kid could really appreciate the satire.

Spoiler: Other books on my list

Starship Troopers: I have a lot of sympathy for Heinlein's Roman/Greek-style attitude towards governance and civic responsibility
Rash: Excellent nanny state dystopia with more relevance than a lot of more famous dystopias
1984: Cliche, but I would teach it with a focus on the language/psychological concepts, not the surveillance
Atlas Shrugged (taught in my school): Say what you will, but as a non-Objectivist I think Ayn Rand had a ton of good points and makes a wonderful Devil's Advocate
Johnny Got His Gun (was taught in my school): Horrors of war
Gone With the Wind: Incredibly rich depiction of Antebellum society and wartime suffering

 

[Safir]

Personally that's where my issue arises: when we've got one foot in allegory and one in realism. Rabbits can't count past 4 but they can create mythologies and pass knowledge and social roles down through generations? Animals wouldn't have spirituality because they don't have any way of transferring information to each other, they don't have thumbs to write, they don't have linguistic centers or complex vocal chords, they don't live long enough to accrue or pass wisdom...

Have you read Watership Down? It's not an allegory for anything. It's a fictional story about IRL four-legged wild rabbits. Not a "secret world" type of story where animals have a tiny hidden human-like civilization, and not a "furry" story with animal-headed humans.

Adams explained that he meant the book to be "only a made-up story ... in no sense an allegory or parable or any kind of political myth. I simply wrote down a story I told to my little girls."

When you watch animals, you might find it fun to humanize them, to come up with human explanations for their actual observed behavior. The central conceit is most events described in the book could have actually happened IRL (or at least a decently educated reader who's not a rabbit expert could think so). Of course rabbits don't have mythology, but the way it's presented in the book, you can't really tell by looking, they don't behave differently. A rabbit can display what would be termed bravery in humans, and the book can say he was inspired by the audacity of rabbit folk hero El-Ahrairah, he can be relaxing in the sun and the book can say he's praying to Frith the sun god.

Also what are you on, animals communicate with each other, with humans, and with animals of other species.

re: thread, The Slum Cat by Ernest Thompson Seton is good. Not 100% xenofiction but mostly from the cat's point of view.