The Animal Teacher in Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael

This article aims at offering an analysis of the animal protagonist of Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and the Spirit (1992) by American author Daniel Quinn as well as his environmental lesson. This book tells the story of the relationship between a human and an animal teacher, the telepathic gori...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Villanueva Romero, Diana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/85854
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/85854
https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2018.i22.13
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Quinn
Ishmael
Animal literature
Captivity
Environmental literature
Primates
Fable
Holocaust
Literatura de animales
Cautividad
Literatura ambiental
Fábula
Holocausto
Descripción
Sumario:This article aims at offering an analysis of the animal protagonist of Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and the Spirit (1992) by American author Daniel Quinn as well as his environmental lesson. This book tells the story of the relationship between a human and an animal teacher, the telepathic gorilla Ishmael. Throughout their conversations some of the reasons behind the environmental crisis are discussed and the need for a shift in the Western paradigm is defended. Special attention is given throughout this artice to the gorilla’s acquisition of personhood, his Socratic method, his thorough lesson on animal and human captivity, and the timeless quality of a fable that continues resonating with many of the global attempts towards a more sustainable world.