The Representation of Cross-fostered Chimpanzees in K.J. Fowler’s "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" and W.N. and L.A. Kellogg’s "The Ape and the Child"

Abstract

This article explores the potential of fictional and scientifically written accounts of cross-fostered chimpanzees. The novel “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” (2014) by K. J. Fowler is compared to ”The Ape and the Child” (1933) by psychologists L.A. and W.N. Kellogg. An analysis of the narrative situation and style reveals two results: First, both texts contribute to different discourses. While “The Ape and The Child” presents scientific results to the discourse of comparative psychology, “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” problematizes the ethical validity of such experiments and the literary representation of non-human animals. Secondly, the emotional first person narrator in “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” contrasts the claimed objective writing style in “The Ape and the Child” and consequently draws attention to the constructedness of both texts.

Keywords: genre, cross-fostered chimpanzees, Animal Studies, Science Studies, fiction

Bitte zitieren Sie diesen Beitrag wie folgt:

Stolle, D. J. (2016). The Representation of Cross-fostered Chimpanzees in K.J. Fowler’s "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" and W.N. and L.A. Kellogg’s "The Ape and the Child". "forsch!" - Studentisches Online-Journal der Universität Oldenburg, 3, 25-31.

http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:101:1-2016060211692