Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

I Have to Sit Down

Home
Catholic
i can haz point?

i can haz point?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:02 pm by Simcha Fisher

i can haz point? 2016-09-30T15:02:05-05:00 Simcha Fisher

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Well, I’m happy to see (through the surveillance device I’ve had installed on this blog)

that many of you are checking out MousesHouses, the source of the picture of that nice little mouse doing the fan dance from the other day. Now, normally a blog subtitled “Pictures from my own private mouseland” would send me screaming in the other direction, but for some reason, I really like these mice.

I am not a fan of cuteness in general, unless I gave birth to it myself

and animal-looking animals doing human things usually makes my skin crawl — at least, if the animals still look fully animal-like. In Beatrix Potter’s work, for instance: never liked those pictures (and the stories terrified me when I was little — all I remember is a lot of whippings, peckings, and terrified animal children hiding in baskets and watering cans. Was there more to those stories?).

Sometimes that rabbit he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a rabbit... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'.

source

I am fine with anthropomorphism, but I think the artist owes it to the viewer to put a little spark of humanity into the eye of the animal, if it’s going to be doing human things; and I also appreciate it when the illustrator doesn’t just make it look like the characters are people wearing animal suits, as in the deeply unpleasant Arthur series.

Mary Raynor is one illustrator who does a great job of making the animals remain animal-like in their postures, even while playing with toy trains, going to the opera, or buying ketchup in bulk:

See how she’s teetering on her trotters, just like a mother pig would as she reached for a heavy bottle of ketchup. (By the way, I heartily recommend the Pig family books by Raynor: Mrs. Pig’s Bulk Buy, Mr. and Mrs. Pig’s Evening Out, Garth Pig Steals the Show, and Mrs Pig Gets Cross. It’s pretty much about my family, except that they’re British, and are pigs.

There was a story a while back about a recently-rediscovered collection of fanciful Victorian taxidermy. These, at least, are well done, if somewhat, you know, full of dead kitties:

I’m not sure what drives a person to pour so much time, energy, and formaldehyde into a project like that, other than the fact that he has some time to kill while his wife is at her mother’s house, thinking things over.

In general, I think posing animals, whether dead or alive, and taking their picture is something that ought to be booed and hissed. What do you think? Does it ever turn out well? The only exception I can think of is when people put a shirt and tie on labradors. For some reason, that always gets me; and it sure looks like the dog is just glad to be getting some attention. Harder than you’d think to find a picture online, though.

Well, now I just have to come up with a title for this post, to give the impression that it was about something.

Previous Post

January 11, 2011

Simcha's Guide to Weatherization

Next Post

January 14, 2011 7 Quick Takes: "Things that fell out of my poor suffering brain" Edition

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Abraham Ezekiel Joseph