Anthropocene Audio: The Animal Soundtrack of the Contemporary Novel

Ben de Bruyn*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Establishing a preliminary dialogue between sound studies and animal studies, this article investigates the representation of animal sounds in the contemporary novel. Focusing particularly on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Julia Leigh’s The Hunter, and Tom McCarthy’s C, it highlights the way in which these novels register and celebrate endangered sounds on the one hand and hybrid, biotechnological sounds on the other, thereby unearthing an overlooked aspect of our cultural response to species extinction and the ongoing technological mediation of the nonhuman world.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-165
Number of pages15
JournalCritique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction
Volume57
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Mar 2016

Keywords

  • Animal studies
  • Cormac McCarthy
  • Julia Leigh
  • LIFE
  • Tom McCarthy
  • contemporary literature
  • sound studies

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