Animal as Mirror: 14 Lessons on Human-Animal Relations and Life Reflection

"If humans want to establish an intimate relationship with the natural world, it absolutely requires learning.

Merely in the name of love, it is not enough to protect any life."

This popular general education course at National Taiwan University, taught for eighteen years,
takes you on a deep exploration from the perspectives of literature, sociology, philosophy, and cultural studies…
of humanistic, ethical, and ecological issues that everyone should try to ponder.

Professor Huang Tsung-hui of National Taiwan University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures teaches the general education course "Literature, Animals, and Society." Using classic foreign literary works as texts, she not only guides and interprets the contextual development of the stories but also attempts to discuss more issues through the interactions between humans and animals in the narratives. Supplemented by explanations of humanistic theories such as sociology and philosophy, she engages with students in discussions and critical thinking to find possible answers to many questions. Through this interdisciplinary approach, animals, originally categorized under scientific research, are explored from a humanistic perspective.

This book collects short stories previously selected for the course, as well as animations and other literary works discussed by Huang Tsung-hui in her research papers or lectures. By reading classic stories by literary masters such as Hemingway, Kafka, Poe, and Munro, as well as familiar animated characters like Mickey Mouse and Leo the Lion, we can rethink the role animals play in human existence. How similar are humans and non-human animals? And how different are they? Faced with various dilemmas regarding animal issues, we might find some directions for answers through this book.

For example, in the short story "The Butterflies" by New Zealand-born Maori writer Patricia Grace, besides its critique of colonizers, we can also discuss whether humans are naturally more attracted to beautiful/cute things, and if they are indifferent to the endangerment of ugly animals. We can also explore whether caring for endangered animals compromises the welfare of people who also need help, or if animal welfare is solely a concern of the middle class.

Another example is Japanese novelist Shukawa Minato's "The Cat of Light Spheres," which describes a disheartened cartoonist living alone in an old apartment in downtown Tokyo, and the story of a cat spirit that appears in his home "like a glowing ping-pong ball." This story also gives rise to discussions related to "human alienation in urban environments" in sociology, and how modern people find healing from animals.

Furthermore, Huang Tsung-hui's materials for discussion extend beyond literary works to include popular culture such as animation and advertising. Therefore, a fascinating chapter in this book discusses how the messages conveyed to viewers by animal images and even plot settings in animated films have changed with the rise of animal rights awareness.

The short essays at the end of each chapter share Huang Tsung-hui's personal reflections on her involvement in animal protection, detailing snippets of her journey and hoping to inspire different ways of thinking about bioethics. Under Huang Tsung-hui's guidance, this popular general education course, combining rational and emotional contemplation, becomes a knowledge resource accessible to everyone.

"If we can piece together these mirror fragments of animals, perhaps our vision will not only see ourselves, will not be a monotonous and unchanging limitation, but will be able to see animals, to see the symbiosis between humans and animals, how they intertwine to create a kaleidoscopic and intricate tapestry." ―― Huang Tsung-hui