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Carnivorous Companions: Anthropomorphic Food in ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ and Elsewhere
Christopher Kelen; Chengcheng You
2021-09
Source PublicationPoetics and Ethics of Anthropomorphism
PublisherRoutledge
Pages202-238
Abstract

Focusing on Lewis Carroll’s (1871) poem, ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’, this chapter surveys the ethics of anthropomorphic food. Following the recitation of ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’, Alice’s interpretive discussion with the Brothers Tweedle immediately re-frames the ethical dilemma of eating (in this case, sentient speaking animal-others), in the context of a larger ontological enquiry, one that puts Alice’s own existence in doubt. Thus, the relationship of humans with others is to be understood as on a par with questions as to the relationship between fiction (and dream) and reality. As is so commonly the case in the Carrollian oeuvre, Alice and the reader find themselves forced to weigh up what is odd and what is not, what is good form and what is impolite. It is not only nature and convention that are at stake in this interrogation of taken-for-grantedness; it is also important to consider at which point things get personal. One may read the episode as a parody of sentimentalism, likewise as a cautionary tale suggesting one is well advised to be wary of those larger and more powerful than oneself. Importantly though, this scene asks us to examine the relationship between euphemism and atrocity in our own dealings with the less powerful others.

DOI10.4324/9781003219330-7
Funding ProjectCross-disciplinary Perspectives on Chinese Children’s Literature
Language英語English
ISBN978-1-032-11311-1
WOS IDWOS:000861697300007
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Citation statistics
Document TypeBook chapter
CollectionFaculty of Arts and Humanities
Corresponding AuthorChengcheng You
AffiliationUniversity of Macau
Recommended Citation
GB/T 7714
Christopher Kelen,Chengcheng You. Carnivorous Companions: Anthropomorphic Food in ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ and Elsewhere[M]. Poetics and Ethics of Anthropomorphism:Routledge, 2021, 202-238.
APA Christopher Kelen., & Chengcheng You (2021). Carnivorous Companions: Anthropomorphic Food in ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ and Elsewhere. Poetics and Ethics of Anthropomorphism, 202-238.
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