Sobriquet 43.13

The following post was originally published on 6/13/08.

I'm going to keep this entry extremely brief. I did get some reading done today: Tom Herron's "The Dog Man: Becoming Animal in Coetzee's Disgrace." Although Herron covers a subject (the Deleuzean/Guattarian concept of "becoming animal") many of his fellow scholars have already discussed at length, his essay is easily the best, most comprehensive study of the topic that I have encountered. Herron deftly synthesizes difficult theoretical material and weaves it seamlessly into his reading of Disgrace to produce an extremely clear, utterly convincing interpretation of the novel that is both appreciative and, when merited, critical of Coetzee's treatment of animals and animality. Any student of Coetzee would do well to read this essay early on in his or her investigations into the criticism surrounding Disgrace. Seriously, this might be the first essay I've on read on Disgrace to which I would give an unreserved "A."

For tomorrow: Read another essay.

Work Cited

Herron, Tom. "The Dog Man: Becoming Animal in Coetzee's Disgrace." Twentieth Century Literature 51. 4 (2005): 467-90. Available online.