Pro-Animal Poetics: Poetry of D. H. Lawrence and Ted Hughes

This book offers a comprehensive study of animal representations through the lens of Animal Studies. Inspired from posthumanist thinkers, the book challenges anthropocentric biases to rethink and reconsider human-animal relationships. It examines works of two renowned pro-animal poets D. H. Lawrence and Ted Hughes, chosen for their repudiation of ‘abstract thought’ and celebration of ‘animalness embodied in the animals’. The study explores Lawrence’s emphasis on animal alterity and the unsubstitutable singularity of animal lives, alongside his advocacy for a moral human-animal relationship that stimulates ethical responsibility. For Hughes, the book traces his biocentric vision in early works, promoting respect for animals on their own terms, and delves into his later engagement with animal ethics, driven by environmental consciousness and a pursuit of ecological justice for non-human animals. Ultimately, this book aims to enrich zoo-centric literary criticism and foster a more perceptive, responsible understanding of human-animal entanglements.