Gorilla (eBook)

Ted Gott, Kathryn Weir (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2013 | 1. Auflage
232 Seiten
Reaktion Books (Verlag)
978-1-78023-067-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Since coming to international prominence in the mid-nineteenth century when English, French, and American scientists first encountered them, the gorilla's physical resemblance to humans has struck a deep chord. Gorillas quickly came to dominate evolutionary debates and grew prevalent in literature, art, film, and popular culture—they are the focus of movies such as Congo and the inspiration for the video game character Donkey Kong and DC Comics super villain Gorilla Grodd. In Gorilla, Ted Grott and Kathryn Weir provide a compelling and unsettling account of our relationship with these highly intelligent animals as they fight extinction due to habitat destruction, commercial hunting, and disease.

Gott and Weir describe how early European observations of gorillas in their native Africa were the genesis of literary and artistic representations such as King Kong. At the same time, gorillas became symbolic of sexuality and subconscious, uncontrolled urges, and influenced theories of criminality. It was not until Dian Fossey's research in the 1960s and 1970s that many misconceptions about the gorilla—especially their violence—were dispelled. A notable history of the gorilla's influence on our culture and its plight at the hands of humans, Gorilla will appeal to any animal lover wanting to learn more about this noble creature and its uncertain future.

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Only coming to prominence in the mid-nineteenth century when English, French and American scientists encountered the animal for the first time, the gorilla’s physical resemblance to humans immediately struck a chord, marking the beginning of a relationship between animal and man that has yielded diverse results, becoming a popular subject for scientists, writers, anthropologists and artists alike. Along with the orang-utan, and some chimpanzees, gorillas are classified as higher apes, a group defined through similarity to humans and which has held a special place in theories of evolution. Today, the remaining gorilla habitats in Africa are threatened by deforestation, and populations continue to be diminished by illegal hunting. They are again at the heart of impassioned contemporary debates on animal ecology and animal ethics.In Gorilla, Ted Gott and Kathryn Weir provide a compelling and sometimes disturbing account of our relationship with this noble, intelligent animal. From Tarzan to King Kong, they track the gorilla through the history of expeditionary narratives, literature and film, where it has acted as a screen upon which fears of sexuality, theories of criminality and narratives of humanity’s relationship with primates have been projected.At times amusing, moving and unsettling, and packed with information and anecdote, Gorilla presents a notable history of this animal’s influence on our culture, as well as its plight at the hands of humankind. The book will appeal to the many fans of this gentle giant, as well as all who wish to learn more of its troubled past and uncertain future.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.10.2013
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Naturführer
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Technik
• ISBN-10: 1-78023-067-2 / 1780230672
• ISBN-13: 978-1-78023-067-2 / 9781780230672