The Animals in That Country
The Animals in That Country is a 1968 poetry collection written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It is her fifth volume of poetry.[1]
Like other works by Atwood, The Animals in That Country explores themes relating to human behaviour and celebration of the natural world, with some of the poems expressing an ecocentric perspective and using the difference between the animals of the Old World and the New World to scrutinize issues like power politics, feminism and human existence.[1][2]
Title
The title of the volume makes a distinction between "that country" and "this country" as a commentary on the differences between Europe and the New World. The animals in "that country" are described as having "the faces of people" and their deaths being romanticized as coming about as part of ceremonial or legendary scenarios, such as fox hunts or bull fights. By comparison, the animals in "this country", have "the faces of animals" and perish in commonplace and unsung ways, such as being hit by cars.[3]
The 2020 novel of the same name by Laura Jean McKay is named in homage to Atwood's collection.[4]
References
- ^ a b Baldwin, Emma (2016-12-11). "Analysis of The animals in that country by Margaret Atwood". Poem Analysis. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
- ^ Hatch, Ronald B. (2000). "Margaret Atwood, the Land, and Ecology". In Nischik, Reingard M. (ed.). Margaret Atwood: Works and Impact. Woodbridge, UK and Rochester, NY: Camden House. pp. 184–187. ISBN 9781571131393.
- ^ Thomas, Paul Lee (2007). Reading, Learning, Teaching Margaret Atwood. New York, Washington DC: Peter Lang. p. 123. ISBN 9780820486710.
- ^ Blackwell, Adam (28 September 2021). "Manawatū author claims top science fiction prize with pandemic novel". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- v
- t
- e
- The Edible Woman (1969)
- Surfacing (1972)
- Lady Oracle (1976)
- Life Before Man (1979)
- Bodily Harm (1981)
- The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
- Cat's Eye (1988)
- The Robber Bride (1993)
- Alias Grace (1996)
- The Blind Assassin (2000)
- Oryx and Crake (2003)
- The Penelopiad (2005)
- The Year of the Flood (2009)
- MaddAddam (2013)
- The Heart Goes Last (2015)
- Hag-Seed (2016)
- The Testaments (2019)
collections
- Dancing Girls (1977)
- Murder in the Dark (1983)
- Bluebeard's Egg (1983)
- Wilderness Tips (1991)
- Good Bones (1992)
- Good Bones and Simple Murders (1994)
- The Labrador Fiasco (1996)
- The Tent (2006)
- Moral Disorder (2006)
- Stone Mattress (2014)
- Old Babes in the Wood (2023)
- "Rape Fantasies" (1977)
- "The Resplendent Quetzal" (1977)
- "Happy Endings" (1983)
- "Unearthing Suite" (1983)
- "Freeforall" (1986)
collections
- Double Persephone (1961)
- The Circle Game (1964)
- Expeditions (1965)
- Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein (1966)
- The Animals in That Country (1968)
- The Journals of Susanna Moodie (1970)
- Procedures for Underground (1970)
- Power Politics (1971)
- You Are Happy (1974)
- Two-Headed Poems (1978)
- True Stories (1981)
- Interlunar (1984)
- Morning in the Burned House (1995)
- The Door (2007)
- Dearly (2020)
- Survival (1972)
- Negotiating with the Dead (2002)
- Writing with Intent (2005)
- Payback (2008)
- Burning Questions (2022)
- Heaven on Earth (1987)