Reading Zoos

Download or read book Reading Zoos written by Randy Malamud and published by MacMillan. This book was released on 1998 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through an examination of modern depictions of zoos, Reading Zoos presents a paradigm of how these institutions, and a range of reactions to them, illuminate the workings of our cultural sensibilities. The book explores how the nature of zoos and their significance to cultural consumers is portrayed in over 100 works. It explores what animals' captivity signifies about the people who create, maintain, and patronize zoos; Malamud argues that zoos represent a cultural danger, a deadening of our sensibilities, because the institutions - rather than fostering an appreciation for animals' attributes - convince spectators that people are the imperial species.