Leaning from the human: Virginia woolf, olaf stapledon, and the challenge of behaviorism

Justin Prystash*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This essay argues that Virginia Woolf’s Flush (1933) and Olaf Stapledon’s Sirius (1944)-novels that focus on the representation of canine consciousness-can be read as a riposte to the reductive materialism of John B. Watson’s behaviorism. Following in the wake of Watson’s ridicule of anthropomorphism and the “stream of consciousness” (indeed, any consciousness at all), Woolf and Stapledon embrace these techniques as they work to affirm the sexuality, spirituality, and rich mental experience of nonhuman animals. Behaviorism is revealed as a productive antagonist that played a vital role in the development of early twentieth-century literature and literary criticism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)433-457
Number of pages25
JournalConfigurations
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Philosophy
  • Literature and Literary Theory

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