SWINE: THE ANIMAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, RESISTANCE THROUGH STORYTELLING, AND THE QUESTION OF THE ANIMAL IN NOVEL FORM by Brittni MacKenzie-Dale B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2015 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) August 2018 © Brittni MacKenzie-Dale, 2018 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Swine: The Animal Industrial Complex, Resistance Through Storytelling, and the Question of the Animal in Novel Form submitted by Brittni MacKenzie-Dale in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Dr. Jodey Castricano, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan Supervisor Anne Fleming, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Lisa Grekul, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Jim Robinson, Faculty of Philosophy, UBC Okanagan University Examiner ii Abstract In this thesis, I work at the intersections of Creative Writing, Critical Animal Studies (CAS), and ecofeminism in order to explore North American carnist culture and human exceptionalist discourse through fiction. Ultimately, I contend that the animal industrial complex relies on exploitative ideologies, and that fiction can be a radical act of resistance to such oppression, and, thus, contribute to a social justice that sees the liberation of other animals as a focal point. As part of this argument, I argue that gothic fiction has the ability to reflect upon a cultural, socio-political moment by exploring an imagined future, alternate reality, or hyperbolized temporal fear to problematize, destabilize, and resist restrictive understandings of social norms such as arbitrary speciesist notions and the porous ontological divide between “human” and nonhuman animals. Rooted in a historical tradition of radical writers and thinkers, the gothic aesthetic speaks to sociopolitical and ethical anxieties; as such, I suggest that gothic fiction might be the best place in which to visit moral quandaries that effect all life on earth. Methodologically, I rely in part on Anne William’s understanding of the Female Gothic plot in my creation of Swine, but take this further, suggesting that an ecofeminist Gothic is the best way to resist the animal industrial complex by telling a different story about our relationship to “farm” animals. My novel Swine is the culmination of my argument against the animal industrial complex, “rational” modes of knowing, and carnism itself. Rather than treating the critical and the creative as binary approaches to the animal industrial complex, I see them as existing on a spectrum or continuum, all the while insisting that fiction can be an ethical response to violence. iii Lay Summary My thesis combines the fields of Creative Writing, Critical Animal Studies (CAS), and ecofeminism to argue for an interdisciplinary approach to combatting speciesism and carnism. In the scholarly portion, I unpack what the animal industrial complex looks like, how it functions, and ways in which we can resist it. I analyze gothic literature as a tool for social justice towards animals and situate my novel, Swine, within this tradition. My thesis culminates in a gothic novel that follows Lou Lowe and her family after her father takes a position on the kill floor of a slaughterhouse. Lou navigates both human and animal abuse, as well as mysterious events related to the pigs at Jackson’s Own farms and meat-packing facilities. My thesis argues that our current relationship with animals is violent, unnecessary, and cruel, and that fiction can allow for innovative ways of thinking about our fellow earthlings and our relationships to them. iv Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ........................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ vi Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ vii Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Section 2: Critical Contexts: Speciesism, Carnism, and Ecofeminism ............................... 12 2.1 Speciesism ............................................................................................................ 12 2.2 Carnism ................................................................................................................. 13 2.3 Ecofeminism .......................................................................................................... 15 Section 3: Fictional Methodologies: Empathy, Narrative, and the gothic ........................... 19 Section 4: Swine and subverting gothic tradition ................................................................. 30 4.1 Gothic tropes ......................................................................................................... 30 4.2 The slaughterhouse ............................................................................................... 39 Section 5: Conclusions: Towards an Ecofeminist Fiction ................................................... 48 5.1 Ecofeminist writers and stories .............................................................................. 48 5.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 53 Section 6: Swine ..................................................................................................................... 55 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 317 v List of Tables Table 1. Holly Hirst’s Gothic Framework ............................................................................... 32 vi Acknowledgements I offer the warmest gratitude to Dr. Jodey Castricano, without whom this project would not have been possible. She is the reason I have studied CAS in university. Thank you for the countless cups of tea, words of wisdom, and for overseeing many projects throughout my time at UBCO. I extend thanks to Anne Fleming for all her mentorship, in helping shape this thesis over many phone calls, and, throughout the years, helping me grow as a writer and thinker. A big, heartfelt thank you to Dr. Lisa Grekul, whose kindness, emotional support, and boundless encouragement has been invaluable in supporting my creativity and output. I appreciate Nancy Holmes and my creative writing classmates, some of which have seen various drafts of Swine; they have been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. Thanks, always, to Michael V. Smith for believing in my writing. I would not have been able to complete this degree without the support of my parents, or my brother Brodie for endlessly building me up and making me laugh. An immense thank you to my good friends: Erin Hiebert, Sylvia Hajdu, Cole Mash, Rina Chua, Kelsey Andersen, and Renata Mrema, among others. This project would not have been possible without the love, support, and generosity of Trystan Carter, who inspires me to be better everyday—thank you forever. And, of course, thank you to all the animals I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and sharing a home with over the years, but particularly my feline companion, Caesar, who always knows when I need a friend. vii Section 1: Introduction For thinking concerning the animal, if there is such a thing, derives from poetry. There you have a thesis: it is what philosophy has, essentially, had to deprive itself of. It is the difference between philosophical knowledge and poetic thinking.1 On June 22, 2015, a truck carrying pigs to a slaughterhouse stopped at the intersection of Appleby Line and Harvester Road in Burlington, Ontario. These pigs were headed for slaughter and like most pigs, were likely transported without food or water for up to thirty-six hours (Millward). Through the portholes of the truck, activist Anita Krajnc used water bottles to give much-needed water to the thirsty pigs. Krajnc was subsequently arrested and charged with mischief. The Crown argued that Krajnc had tampered with property. Hog farmer Eric Van Boekel, owner of the pigs, claimed that he was worried there could be contaminants in the water Krajnc had given them. He expressed concern that, if found sick, the pigs would be turned away from the slaughterhouse. Krajnc’s case received widespread media attention. Multiple online petitions were created supporting Krajnc’s compassionate decision to give those pigs water on a sweltering summer day in Ontario, where temperatures often reach nearly thirty-degrees Celsius— and, ostensibly, create much hotter conditions within transport trucks where pigs are forced to stand side by side, unable to turn around, almost on top of one another. In fact, a petition on Care2