{"product_id":"the-birth-of-a-jungle-michael-lundblad-9780190231583","title":"The Birth of a Jungle: Animality in Progressive-Era U.S. Literature and Culture","description":"According to the law of the jungle, the behavior of wild animals can be equated with natural human instincts not only for competition and reproduction, but also for violence and exploitation. Drawing on numerous novels and cultural events at the turn of the twentieth century, \u003cem\u003eThe Birth of a Jungle\u003c\/em\u003e examines how the characteristics and imagery of wild animals were evoked to explore a wide range of human behaviors, including homosexuality, labor exploitation, and the lynching of African Americans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThroughout the study, Michael Lundblad emphasizes what he terms \"the discourse of the jungle\" Darwinist-Freudian constructions of \"the human\" and \"the animal\" that redefined various behaviors in relation to animal instincts. With nuanced, attentive readings, Lundblad reveals how these formulations of the human animal, despite reigning critical interpretations, were often contested rather than reinforced in Progressive-Era texts. Henry James's \"The Beast in the Jungle\" and fiction by Jack London serve as opportunities to examine changing attitudes toward sexuality and queer desire. Works like Andrew Carnegie's \u003cem\u003eThe Gospel of Wealth\u003c\/em\u003e and Frank Norris's \u003cem\u003eThe Octopus \u003c\/em\u003eoffer insights into another type of jungle: the capitalist marketplace. The real-life electrocution of a circus elephant at Coney Island and Upton Sinclair's muckraking classic, \u003cem\u003eThe Jungle\u003c\/em\u003e, inform the subsequent discussion of animalized class warfare. Understandings of race and evolution are explored through the work of William James, Edgar Rice Burrough's \u003cem\u003eTarzan of the Apes\u003c\/em\u003e, and the role of William Jennings Bryan at the Scopes \"Monkey Trial\" of 1925. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEngagingly written and cogently argued, \u003cem\u003eThe Birth of a Jungle\u003c\/em\u003e reveals the significance of animality in relation to the history of sexuality, literary naturalism, and critical race studies, while highlighting how the discourse of the jungle remains a disturbing yet powerful presence in today's culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Lundblad\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0190231580\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780190231583\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/11\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 234\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.79lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.80d","brand":"Michael Lundblad","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44054613885183,"sku":"9780190231583","price":43.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fc76468f-f84a-44e6-9298-1d2879c2e5cc.jpg?v=1685030969","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-birth-of-a-jungle-michael-lundblad-9780190231583","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}