Animality and subjectivity in Coetzee: rethinking the frontiers of justice

Abstract

This essay discusses the animality and subjectivity as presented in the novel The Life of Animals by South African writer J.M. Coetzee, released in 1999, and intends to combine both the research field of Animal Rights with those of Law and Literature, both in the methodological perspective of Law in Literature and Law as Literature. To achieve this purpose, it adopts the premise that some literary narratives are more important for the understanding of legal and social phenomena than much of the legal doctrine itself. The essay introduces, through Coetzee’s narrative, the problem of Animal Ethics from the perspective of philosophers and poets. What are the theoretical foundations that permeate Coetzee/Costello’s impassioned speech and baffling provocations? Why did Coetzee prefer fiction, to the detriment of the expository method of philosophy itself, to discuss the theme he addressed at Princeton University? These are the principal questions that the essay seeks to discuss Animal Rights. In conclusion, it suggests that art anticipates life, pointing out that literature is a powerful tool for the critical reflection of legal theory and, consequently, for the transformation of the justice system.