Description:
This book explores the many ways in which a wild creature has been absorbed, reimagined and represented across the ages in all of the major art forms. It begins with the four sharks at the top of global shark attack file from scientific, economic and environmental perspectives. It engages with cultural representations of sharks in poetry, drama, art, and advertising, in novels, screenplay adaptations and films. It argues that the conscious cultural representation of sharks in negative and positive ways impacts on the decisions made about real sharks in the wild. An increased understanding of sharks should lead to the development of better strategies for shark and human interactions.
Review Quotes:
"Sharks in the Arts is a heroic attempt to stop - or at least slow - the wanton destruction of one of our planet's most remarkable species. A key to saving these astonishing creatures, the authors argue, is to understand the ways in which they have been fashioned in literature, painting, and above all movies into a terrifying symbol of menace. This book is an example of ecocriticism at its most engaged and urgent." -- Stephen Greenblatt, Cogan University Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University, USA