Creative Compassion, Literature and Animal Welfare

Michael J. Gilmour is Associate Professor of English and biblical literature at Providence University College, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and the author of Eden’s Other Residents: The Bible and Animals and Animals in the Writings of C. S. Lewis.

“Each of the eight chapters comprising Creative Compassion opens with a personal account from activists … witness to the transformative power of storytelling. ... the stories analyzed by Gilmour provide a clear perspective on the ways in which compassion-inclined stories can be used to promote change by encouraging readers to think critically about the ethical implications of the way they understand and relate to animals. In this regard, Creative Compassion, Literature and Welfare constitutes a magnificent example of academic activism.” (Margarita Carretero González, Journal of Animal Ethics, Vol. 14 (1), 2024)

• Chapter 1. Introduction: The Parallel Voices of Modern Animal Welfare Movements and a Literature of Compassion.- Chapter 2. It's a Bad World for Animals: Activism and Sentimental Literature.- Chapter 3. Eating Meat, Eating Misery.- Chapter 4. Lessons on Animals and Science with Doctor Rat.- Chapter 5. St Francis Visits Rabbit Hill: Visions of Coexistence.- Chapter 6. A Sort of Temple: Religious Themes in Animal Literature.- Chapter 7: The Mark of Cain: Human Hunters and Animal Predators.- Chapter 8. Animals, Mourning, and Cat-lovin' Bastards.