The Dog Man: Becoming Animal in Coetzee's Disgrace

摘要: Crossing borders or the ends of man I come surrender to animal--to animal in itself, me and at unease with itself. --Jacques Derrida (372) With their parallel lives, animals offer a companionship which is different from any offered by human exchange. Different because it loneliness as species. --John Berger (6) The comfort lavished ... timely grace. --Luce Irigaray (197) Anyone who likes cats dogs fool. --Gilles Deleuze Felix Guattari (A Thousand Plateaus 240) An extraordinary moment Levinas: And then, about half way through our long captivity, for few short weeks, before sentinels chased him away, wandering dog entered lives. One day he came meet this rabble we returned under guard work. He survived some wild patch region camp. But called Bobby, an exotic name, one does cherished dog. would appear morning assembly was waiting us returned, jumping up down barking delight. For him, there no doubt that were men. (153) In desperate conditions Emmanuel Levinas comes close articulating new relationship animal, creature confers on each every member "seventy forestry commando unit Jewish prisoners war Nazi Germany" (152) status proper man. goes considerable distance toward other animal; tries not allegorize metaphorize dog; see Bobby his own right. identification passes, returns more philosophically conventional modes thought: has "neither ethics nor logos," "without brain needed universalize maxims drives" (152). Levinas, is, David Clark observes, "too stupid, trop bete, French condensing idiocy animality into crassly anthropocentric expression" (188). same time, done something beings surrounding detainees Camp 1492 (the guards, locals living outside camp) do not. By differentiating between categories fellow beings, being unconcerned whether these men are gentiles Jews, recognized humanity prisoners; acknowledged absolute irreducible worth other. strain coming terms fact one's very been affirmed creates passages remarkable tension irresolvable contradictions: what animal? How respond gift bestowed you? possible be alongside being, dog, without reducing mere representative kind? Levinas's difficulties means unique. Indeed, Jacques includes amongst pantheon European philosophers (he thinking particular Descartes, Kant, Heidegger, Lacan) whose discourses [on animal] sound profound, but everything if they themselves had never looked at, especially naked, addressed them though troubling experience theoretically registered, supposing experienced all, precise when made theorem, seen seeing. seeing looks them, taken account philosophical theoretical architecture discourse. (383) When so movingly registers debt can temporary testing limits discourse, "this immense disavowal logic traverses whole history humanity" (383). …