Dino Buzzati and Anton Koolhaas: two authors from different countries and backgrounds, the first a Dutchman, the second an Italian. They have nonetheless much in common. Not only did they live...Show moreDino Buzzati and Anton Koolhaas: two authors from different countries and backgrounds, the first a Dutchman, the second an Italian. They have nonetheless much in common. Not only did they live during the same day and age, they were both authors and journalists with a keen interest in the world and behaviour of animals. This is particularly visible in their short story collections dedicated to animals, Il Bestiario di Dino Buzzati (2015) edited by Lorenzo Viganò and Alle Dierenverhalen (1992). In their renderings of the animal world, they furthermore actively stimulated readers to leave behind their present position and share the perspective of the animal. This thesis centres around the concept of narrative empathy and explores the ways in which Buzzati and Koolhaas try to elicit an empathetic response from their readers. It thus takes on a comparative approach and, through a close reading analysis of some of the stories, investigates which narrative strategies can be said to influence the evocation of narrative empathy and thus, affect readers’s response. The first section offers a brief overview of the main features of Animal Studies and how the concept of empathy has evolved therein. Then follows a general discussion of the debates and studies surrounding Buzzati’s and Koolhaas animal narratives. The fourth chapter outlines the methodology and discusses the concepts that frame my analysis. The fifth chapter contains my interpretative efforts and offers an analysis of six short stories by Koolhaas and Buzzati. The conclusive chapter will reflect on my findings and point to interesting lines of inquiry for future studies.Show less
(Domesticated) animals play a remarkable role alongside human characters in the novel 'De geluiden van de eerste dag' (1975), by Dutch author Anton Koolhaas. In dominant anthropocentric discourses...Show more(Domesticated) animals play a remarkable role alongside human characters in the novel 'De geluiden van de eerste dag' (1975), by Dutch author Anton Koolhaas. In dominant anthropocentric discourses subjectivity (the active, desire driven perception and experience of reality) and individuality of non-human animals often get erased. However, this doesn't seem to be the case in 'De geluiden van de eerste dag'. In this thesis, I aim to formulate an answer to the question: 'Does the novel 'De geluiden van de eerste dag', by Anton Koolhaas, represent and thematize an anti-anthropocentric human-animal-relationship?' This study shows that the novel attributes agency and subjectivity to non-human animals, while (to a certain extent) respecting their species-specific susceptibilities, modes of communication and behavior. Overall the novel takes an ethical stance against mechanical animal exploitation and promotes an empathic relationship to other animals. I draw specific attention to the way aggression is connected to agency, the constitution of the subject and to the creative act of taking up space (Umwelt). I also emphasize how language and anthropomorphism (in and via literature) contribute to the constitution of subjectivity, agency and individuality of non-human and human animals.Show less
