ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between representations of animals in contemporary fiction and the diverse theoretical perspectives which emerged through the development of Animal Studies in the 2000s and 2010s. It focuses on approaches which explore cross-species kinship, and addresses issues such as embodiment, vulnerability and sentience, before turning to that which is usually excluded from such kinship: the insect. The chapter argues that the tiny creatures offer the potential for a transformation of our understanding of empathy, attentiveness and kinship. Whilst some contemporary animal fiction perceives storytelling as a way of challenging or resituating the human/animal distinction, many texts continue to use animal figures anthropocentrically to illustrate human qualities or resolve human problems. ‘Entangled empathy’ has become a cornerstone of contemporary animal fiction and thought which aims to enlarge the ethical sphere to include animals. The limits of this sphere vary: the mammalian usually qualifies; sometimes the avian, piscine or reptilian; rarely insect or vegetal life.
