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Pets in Memoir

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Representing the Modern Animal in Culture

Abstract

I had been thinking hard about this line of Gertrude Stein’s after Jill died. Jill was a cat and not a dog, but I did not want to hold that against Stein. During my mourning, I found myself able to analyze my sadness in light of Stein’s simple idea: suddenly, my little cat was no longer there to know me, and for that reason I felt myself lost. In losing her I had lost some small confirmation of my self.

Gertrude Stein’s quotation on a bench outside Central Park Zoo. Courtesy of Paolo Cocco.

I am very grateful to Nancy K. Miller for her support in writing this essay.

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Authors
  1. Kevin L. Ferguson
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Editor information

Jeanne Dubino Ziba Rashidian Andrew Smyth

Copyright information

© 2014 Jeanne Dubino, Ziba Rashidian, and Andrew Smyth

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Cite this chapter

Ferguson, K.L. (2014). Pets in Memoir. In: Dubino, J., Rashidian, Z., Smyth, A. (eds) Representing the Modern Animal in Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137428653_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137428653_5

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-49151-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-42865-3

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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