Picturing the Beast: Animals, Identity, and Representation

by Steve Baker

Book Overview

From Mickey Mouse to the teddy bear, from the Republican elephant to the use of "jackass" as an all-purpose insult, images of animals play a central role in politics, entertainment, and social interactions. In this penetrating look at how Western culture pictures the beast, Steve Baker examines how such images--sometimes affectionate, sometimes derogatory, always distorting--affect how real animals are perceived and treated.

Baker provides...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252070305
• ISBN13: 9780252070303
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

a nice & original study of animal imagery

Picturing the beast is about the way animals are depicted in the media (cartoons, photography etc.) The thesis of the book is that such depictions partly determine the way we think about and treat animals. Picturing the beast is a highly original study and is recommended for anyone interested in media & communication, or the animal rights debate