„Niewypowiedziana strata” Śmierć zwierząt towarzyszących we współczesnej amerykańskiej memuarystyce
“Unspeakable Loss:” The Death of Companion Animals in Contemporary American Dog Memoirs

Author(s): Małgorzata Rutkowska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: dogs; American dog memoirs; companion animal’s death; mourning;ageing;
Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present article is to compare emotional responses to a dog’s death in American dog memoirs, treated as a subgenre of relational life writing. For companion animals’ guardians, the loss of a beloved dog is comparable to that of a close relative. It often affects them deeply and is followed by a period of intense mourning which manifests the strength of the dog‑human bond. A tendency to blur the human‑animal boundary is visible in some cultural practices connected with animal ageing and death (funeral ceremonies, belief in animal soul and afterlife). The ageing, infirm animals often function as remainders of transience and mortality. The death of a dog serves as a conclusion to the story of shared life. If the loss is then managed properly during the period of mourning it enables the guardian to begin a new life.

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