Hi everyone. I am studying an MA in Illustration. I am interested in the representation of violence toward animals - specifically by humans - in picture books.
I'm asking what people's thoughts are on this.
For example, are there any rules or guidance for publishing illustrated stories with violence in them?
Do you know of or have any in mind where there is any violence toward animal characters by human characters.
What do you think about it?
Any and all thoughts welcome.
Thank you for your help.
Hi Bridget, I'm finding this fascinating :) Something I find much more prevalent when writing YA (as opposed to adult) fiction is the way non-human characters (and I think this applies to all non-human characters, not just animals) are anthropomorphized. For Red Riding Hood, one could argue that the wolf is the victim - it's only following nature's law, after all - and it's Red Riding Hood that is the problem. Most adults, I suspect, imbue the wolf's personality with human traits to make the violence perpetrated against it more palatable and acceptable. I remember reading the original versions of this (and quite a few other tales) many years ago and being struck by how much more violent and gruesome they were - if you can get hold of the original translation of Grimms' fairytales it's well worth a look. The Three Little Pigs were originally seven goats, for example, and the stories were much ore back and white morality plays. There's still a degree of applying human characteristics to the animals if I remember rightly (it was a long time ago) but they are remarkably free of the social constructs used to justify violence.
My writing usually has quite dark themes (I write in the horror/sci-fi/crime genres) but whenever I'm writing violent scenes, I always look for areas where I've projected human characteristics onto non-human characters and do my best to remove them when editing and rewriting. It almost always makes for better reading, and allows the reader to form their own judgments as to the validity of the violence.
I suppose the question I'm asking myself is, do we, as adults, project our social values onto animals in an effort to both justify the violence and also to protect the children? I think we do, albeit subconsciously most of the time. Stereotypical is exactly how the wolf is portrayed because that makes it easier to justify the violence.
Interesting thread, though. Just goes to show that even the tales we think are straightforward are anything but black and white and consist of multiple shades of grey.
Dear Larriane and Neil, thank you so much for your responses.
I am exploring this theme through Red Riding Hood against the current discourse that surrounds the re-introduction of wolves around the world.
Neil - Bambi! Of course - it haunts me still and was possibly one of the triggers in childhood for my own animal advocacy! The representation of hunting is of interest - as hunting is violence and I ask if it is being normalised through picture books - even to non-hunting communities and cultures. The gun and/or axe appears illustrated in most versions of Red Riding Hood.
With Bambi - the context is significant - the shooting is not presented as normal or good - the act doesn't go unnoticed. The deer are visible, we know them and the hunters are not seen as individuals - I think this gives the deer identity and so significance. (Think I have remembered that correctly)
There's a book, The Social Construction of Reality - In the chapter, Society as Objective Reality, Berger and Luckman describe the vocabulary that surrounds hunting, how it is learned through generations, creates a ‘universe of meaning’, and shapes an individual through, ‘objective reality’ and ‘subjective truth’. I believe it is still relevant writing.
(Berger and Luckmann, 1967 - The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge)
I am interested in how that applies to visual language.
Larraine - I don't know that book but of course, I know the terminology. I've just ordered a full uncensored 1922 Kindle version - to explore the illustrations.
Thank you both so much. Any thoughts on the violence toward the wolf in Red Riding Hood? He is often stereotyped, illustrated with derogatory human characteristics -
Again - thank you both for your informed and interesting replies.
best
Bridget
Hi Bridget
What a very interesting topic you have chosen.
I'm an older person and grew up with an illustrated story book - Little Black Sambo - a book first published in England in 1899. I'm not *that* old but the book lasted in popularity for close on 100 years! However, the illustrations in particular came under scrutiny by civil rights activists in the 30's and 40's.
There are many controversial thoughts about the book (as you can imagine frome the title) and the violence towards animals, in this case tigers, maybe somewhat 'subtle' for your purposes.
I thought it might make for some interesting observations from you for your MA.
Good luck!
Larraine