JOURNAL ARTICLE

Creatures Who Advocate: An Ecocritical Reading of Jubilate Agno.

  • Published In: Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2024, v. 57, n. 4. P. 519 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Wild, Min 3 of 3

Abstract

"For I pray God for the ostriches of Salisbury Plain, the beavers of the Medway and silver fish of Thames" (Jubilate Agno , B153): species extinction in Christopher Smart's unique poem is the focal point of this essay. That the poem's ecstatic scope offers a leveling care for the nonhuman has been acknowledged, but here I argue that it speaks out of abjection: the poet is the supplicant, asking all Earth's creatures to advocate for him before God. Additionally, focusing particularly on the figure of the beaver, I highlight the medieval animal fable as a valid mode of understanding better our animal kin today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Eighteenth-Century Studies. 2024/07, Vol. 57, Issue 4, p519
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0013-2586
  • DOI:10.1353/ecs.2024.a931694
  • Accession Number:178852004
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Eighteenth-Century Studies is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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