Vegetarianism and Veganism in Literature from the Ancients to the Twenty-First Century

Vegetarianism and Veganism in Literature from the Ancients to the Twenty-First Century re-assesses both canonical and less well-known literary texts to illuminate how vegetarianism and veganism can be understood as literary phenomena as well as dietary and cultural practices. It offers a broad historical span ranging from ancient thinkers and writers such as Pythagoras and Ovid to contemporary novelists including Ruth L. Ozeki and Jonathan Franzen. The expansive historical scope is complemented by a cross-cultural focus which emphasises that the philosophy behind these diets has developed through a dialogic relationship between east and west. The book demonstrates also the way in which carnivorism has functioned as an ideology one which has underpinned actions harmful to both human and non-human animals.