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Winter Issue, 2021
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The Journal of Matters Relating to Felines is a society producing a magazine, affiliated with the University of Aberdeen. It is composed by students from different degrees, with diverse interests and opinions. Cats are the ribbon tying it all together. It features written pieces of various genres. From professional articles to short stories, our writers have the freedom to express themselves through any shape or form.
Table of Content
Page 1 -Introductory Page
Pages 2-3 -Cats or Dogs? An Insight into why we life what we like by Rosie Guy: From our favourite songs to our favourite foods: why do we like things in the first place? This article discusses possible reasons for this phenomenon and hints at the author’s questionable music taste.
Pages 4-6 -Cool Cat by Thea Mainprize: From the comfort of our cosy home this winter, read about the tufty-eared felines who have mastered the cooler climes.
Pages 6-7 -Are cats the solution to toxic masculinity? By Giulia Pipolo: A slight comedic article about toxic masculinity and the theory some people could have that cats could potentially be a solution to this problem. This article is for anyone wanting to know why cat men are the best.
Pages 7-8 -The Problem of representation in Disney Movies by Cecile Fardoux: This article looks back to Disney movies that we grew up with, which unlike us, did not age well…
Pages 10-11 -‘Feline Good’, ‘Tom’, ‘Corsage’ by Blair Center: Three poems concerned with living with cats at all stages of life, whether they are cats from your own household or those outside. 'Corsage' explores coming to terms with one's cat ageing or experiencing illness; 'Feline Good' explores the playful disruption a cat can cause to productivity; and 'Tom', a poem in Scots, explores the cheeky scavenger-like impulses of the outdoor cat, as well as the tension between pleasure and territorialism experienced by cat owners upon seeing a cat in the garden which is not their own. In memory of Keeko, my little shadow.
Pages 12-14 -The Age of Repetition by Luke Litvinov: Analysing and critiquing the concept of mimicry, as well as remakes in modern media.
Pages 14-16 -Is this me? By Cecile Fardoux: This is an insight on Body Dysmorphic Disorder, what can cause it, the way it can be experienced and its consequences.
Pages 16-17 -Imago by Déborah Lazreug: the Latin word for 'image', a recurrent column analysing paintings, photographs, sculptures or movie stills depicting cats. In Latin, the word 'imago' was used for anything frozen in representation, from artistic representations to ghosts and memories of one's head. For this winter issue, we will look at Cornelis Visscher's naturalisitc and moralistic engraving of a large cat and we will learn about the potential Hollywood debut of 152 black cats, captured in charismatic black and white photographs by Ralph Crane.'
Page 18 -Conclusion
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Cats or Dogs?
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An Insight into Why We Like What We Like Picture the scene – my friend and I sat around a pile of
structure, we remain unlike each other in our
cards on the kitchen table, playing snap with music
preferences and desires in life.
blaring. I’m singing along to Justin Timberlake’s Rock Your Body and shouting to my friend through the noise: “Wow – I actually think this might be my favourite song!” To my astonishment she shakes her head in disagreement, complaining that she “just doesn’t like his voice.” She shrugs apologetically as I sit in shock and wonder, why do I like this song, but she doesn’t? We’re listening to the same song after all; same beat, same lyrics; same melody. What determines whether we like something or not?
Focusing on our food preferences, in our modern society where we no longer need to hunt and gather food, the choice of what to eat, and therefore the realm of our preferences, expands to an almost unmanageable level. Behavioural scientist Brian Wansink claims that we encounter around 200 food choices per day! To help our brains decide which type of fruit or vegetable we would like to eat out of the hundreds of choices, we rely on our past experiences - what food we were brought up with, what others recommend to us, things that people
This concept of preference tidied itself away at the back
we were around used to love. Therefore, the scope of
of my brain, until another friend expressed her intense
what we like and enjoy is partly due to socialisation and
dislike of cat cafés, and another her preference of cats
adopting the preferences of others based on what you
over dogs. No matter how I tried to convince them that
are introduced to throughout your life.
cat cafés are one of life’s pleasures and that dogs are bundles of joy, I couldn’t. Scouring the internet to find out why exactly we prefer one thing over the other (or get too excited over a 2000s pop song) I discovered fascinating
psychological
and
sociological
explanations. Disclaimer – I am in no way an expert in this topic!
These experiences and introductions to things that turn into some of our favourite foods, songs and books are all based on the familiar. Evolutionarily, we decided to eat something because we saw someone else eat it, and they didn’t die, so we label it as a food we ‘like’. Eventually, it became a staple in our diets – something we can rely on to keep us alive. As opposed to
Firstly, our likes and dislikes are inherently biological.
representing danger, what we like is often comforting to
Food, water, love, company, and knowledge are all
us. Like my friend who prefers cats over dogs because
integral to survival – without these, our ancestors would
of her childhood fear, we rank scenarios and topics
not have reproduced, known how to hunt, or formed
based off experience and level of threat. Because dogs
societies and languages. These evolutionary traits
represented danger to my friend, she automatically
remain in our subconscious today, and directly
prefers their opposite – cats. The same goes for positive
influence our preferences and out-look on the world.
experiences – growing up listening to The Beatles and
Yet, despite our common biological traits of possessing
David Bowie means I have a much higher appreciation
the same physical organs, gene make-up and bone
for them than I otherwise would.
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The last (but not least) reason why we like the things we
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like is not due to what we prefer, but what others do. We conform to other’s actions and beliefs every day;
As well as familiarity, these things have history and
inevitably we end up absorbing and imitating their own
stories behind them. When things hold sentimental
likes and dislikes, and especially so if many people like
value, it is not the object itself that you want to keep it
something. This concept expands out of pretending to
for, but its unique history according to you and your life.
like same music our friend group does – in a 2006
For example, a teddy you owned as a child or a necklace
experiment, participants could download songs from a
your mother used to wear. This applies to artwork too –
website after ranking which songs they liked best. Once
people will pay thousands for an original painting by
they could see what previous people had ranked as their
Van Gogh but roll their eyes at an exact replica of the
favourites and least favourites, they began to agree with
same piece. Despite both being seemingly identical,
them. Eventually, songs originally ranked as popular
since we believe that the original was examined by
were high on the list, whereas less popular ones fell
Gogh’s own eyes and painted by his own brushes, it puts
down the ranks.
its value at priceless. There is no physical difference between the two works, but it is our own contrived stories surrounding the original piece that increase its value in our minds. We are paying for the sentimental value we have attached to it, not the image depicted on the canvas, and so feel as if we prefer the original.
Despite all these externals influences seemingly determining what we most love about life, every song, poem, food, painting, or hobby that you can’t get enough of is unique to you – cherish what and who you love. By Rosie Guy
Cool Cat The nights are drawing in and outside is getting a little colder. With winter fast approaching, this brings the hope (or perhaps - for some - dread) of the first flurries of snow. Unlike some animals, we mere humans are not primed for such conditions, preferring to stay inside our cosy heated homes rather than brave the chilly outdoors. The icy terrain, however, is the perfect playground for a certain group of tufty-eared, short-tailed felines. With their large paws and thick coat, lynxes are well-adapted for cooler weather. Dwelling only within the northern hemisphere, the four living species of lynx are perfectly split between North America and Eurasia.
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The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is perhaps the most widespread, with a range that spans much of Scandinavia and eastern Europe, as well as mountainous areas of western Europe and central Asia. At one time, the lynx was even more abundant, but hunting pressures during the 19th and early 20th centuries left it locally extinct in western and central Europe. Before the Medieval period, lynxes were a common sight in the UK, though as with all our larger predators they were hunted to extinction. Although the lynx has since recolonised western Europe, it is now limited to alpine environments. The Eurasian lynx thrives in these mountainous areas but finds its home in boreal forest. Where there is moderate snow cover, this lynx excels. Its large paws prevent it from sinking too much in the snow, and so its hunting success is greater in these conditions due to its prey being slowed. Surprisingly, it is hindered in very deep snow and will often move to more hospitable lowland locations during the very depths of winter. The Eurasian lynx is certainly hardier than its Iberian cousin which could easily be said to be the ‘odd one out’ of the group. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is endemic to - as its name suggests - Spain and Portugal but was once also found in the south of France. This lynx has largely swapped the colder life for one of more agreeable temperatures. Although it prefers temperate grasslands, it has been forcibly restricted to more mountainous areas, away from urban centres. The tale of the Iberian lynx almost ended in tragedy. Less than 20 years ago, this once abundant animal had been reduced to just 94 individuals. Unlike the Eurasian lynx, the Iberian lynx could be classed as a specialist predator, subsisting mainly on rabbits. With the introduction of diseases such as myxomatosis in the 1970s as a biological method to control rabbit numbers, the devastating crash in rabbit numbers that followed casts similar echoes throughout predator populations across the Iberian Peninsula. This, coupled with increasing effects of human encroachment and hunting resulted in mass decline of the Iberian lynx. By 2002, it was looking likely that this lynx would be lost forever. However, in the years since, the magnitude of conservation efforts has been considerable. Iberian lynxes were taken to specialised captive breeding facilities with the aim to provide both a safeguarded population and the means for reintroduction. Since 2009, captive breeding, habitat restoration, and protection have allowed the release of several lynx into Spain and Portugal. As it stands, this species can be hailed a conservation success. Latest numbers suggest that there are now around 400 individuals. However, they are not out of the woods yet. There have been incidents of deliberate killings of Iberian lynx and several fatalities through road traffic accidents. Genetic diversity within the species is also incredibly low due to sustained inbreeding following the dramatic reduction in population size. This could prove troublesome as low genetic diversity leaves less room for adaptation to disease and climate change, leaving this lynx in a precarious situation. Across the pond, the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is truly designed for a winter wonderland. Its paws are massively proportioned for greater surface area to prevent it sinking in deep snow, even in comparison to the other species. Its coat is also much longer and thicker. It is a well-known specialist predator of snowshoe hares.
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If you are a biology or ecology student, it is likely that you are aware of this interaction and the associations with the dreaded Lotka-Volterra dynamics! For those who have not had the misfortune, the interactions of Canada lynx and snowshoe hares is the classic example of how predator numbers fluctuate directly with their prey, particularly in specialists. It brings with it a whole world of mathematics that is (thankfully) beyond the scope of this article. Due to this close relationship, Canada lynx are generally found only where snowshoe hares are present throughout the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. In the southernmost parts of its range, it often comes into contact with perhaps its better known relative, the bobcat (Lynx rufus). The bobcat is far more adaptable than its northern cousin, ranging from Canada to Mexico and within a variety of habitats including forest, mountains, wetlands, and even more urban settings. Although like other lynx it prefers rabbits, it is much more comfortable with eating other prey. The Canada lynx beats the bobcat when it comes to snow, though. The bobcat’s paws are not so well designed and thus it cannot walk as well through snow. Where the two overlap in range, the bobcat tends to be outcompeted by the true snow superstar. However, there are areas where the two coexist and even interbreed. Areas of coexistence include the very northernmost states of the USA and southern Canada and bobcat-Canada lynx hybrids have been reported from both areas. Interestingly, this had not been officially recognised until 2004, where two studies revealed that bobcat and lynx were certainly crossing in Maine, New Brunswick, and Minnesota. Hybrids in these areas were further observed, generally after being trapped by hunters. Many had characteristics intermediate of the lynx and bobcat, such as body and paw size. Coat colours were generally quite similar to those of bobcats, though the hybrids had tufted ears much like Canada lynx. Through analysis of the hybrids, it was found that each had a bobcat father and Canada lynx mother. In animals, sometimes offspring arising from interbreeding can only occur one way. This means that it may not be possible for there to be a Canada lynx father and a bobcat mother. A more recent body of work from 2014, which examined the prevalence of hybrids across the lynx-bobcat shared range, suggests this is still the case. However, it also highlighted that hybrids were able to reproduce with either parent species. It is also probable that only the female hybrids are able to be parents themselves. This is known as Haldane’s rule, after the eminent biologist JBS Haldane. Haldane suggested that only hybrids which have the same sex chromosomes (XX in mammals) would be able to reproduce, those which have the XY arrangement would be sterile. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well known but several theories are postulated. Currently, it is believed that this is due to faster evolution of the X chromosome and its linked genes in comparison to the Y. When these chromosomes come together in offspring from different species, it is suggested that the incompatibility leads to male sterility. Certainly, with the lynx and bobcat hybrids, Haldane’s rule seems to be observed. A study published in 2008 unveiled direct observations of a female hybrid
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with kittens as well as evidence of placental scars from other hybrid females. However, the level of hybridisation that occurs is uncertain. One study found that 3 out of 20 animals sampled displayed genes from both species, whereas a range-wide study only found seven hybrids out of 2851 animals. While such numbers may seem trivial in either case, there is some cause for concern. The Canada lynx has declined in many of the southern parts of its range primarily due to loss of boreal forest and increasing urbanisation. Combined with climate change and potentially less snow cover, these conditions are more conducive to bobcat success. There are fears that the bobcat may then outcompete the Canada lynx in these areas. Hybridisation can exacerbate these pressures further. Since the hybrids are able to reproduce, they may also be able to outcompete the parent species if the environment suits them better. Over time, Canada lynx genes may then become diluted or even lost in the population. However, there is no evidence for this happening currently and the threat of hybrid success compared to either parent species seems low. In regards to conservation, the four species of lynx are perhaps one of the few groups of animals which are, surprisingly, faring quite well at present. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature reports that all species are at least stable in numbers, and in the case of the Iberian lynx, increasing. A lot of money has been pumped into conservation and management of both European lynx species, and the Canada lynx is protected from hunting for fur in the southern areas of its range. While bobcats have no national protection measures, they are covered by international law, a relic of overhunting from the 1960s and 1970s. Bobcat hunting is now generally well-managed throughout the United States. As it stands, lynxes will continue to meander over mountains and effortlessly bound over snowscapes for many years to come, but the effects of a changing climate and having to navigate an increasingly human world may eventually leave the fates of some species hanging by the very tufts of their ears.
By Thea Mainprize
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Are cats the solution to toxic masculinity? Cats are inheritably associated with women and dogs
susceptible to depression and other conditions. In
with men. Women are called “catty”, “spinsters”, “old
addition to that, I was sad to discover these same men
cat lady” and get into “cat fights”.
are also way less likely to seek out help in regard to their
There are a
considerable number of men who seem to love dogs but will advocate that cats are creatures made by the devil himself. Why do men generally tend to love dogs over cats? It is most likely because dogs will always be an
mental health. All in all, it’s safe to say toxic masculinity is not beneficial to any party.
inferior factor at home, which will be by their side no
Now, take everything being said henceforth with a
matter what. Dogs always respect their owner. Any cat
pinch of salt and allow yourself to see the comedic and
owner knows that the creature(s) living in their homes
possibly truthful nature of these ‘hypotheses.’
do not work that way. Cats crave attention when they
Going back to what was earlier said, men who love dogs
feel like it and want to be left alone from time to time. Cats need you to feed them, pet them and basically expect you to have a subconscious sense that tells you
are “chasing the easy catch”…they do not want, or cannot be bothered, to work for love and affection. Cats are only loyal to their owners, and you thus must own
exactly what kind of mood they are in.
their love. You might translate this to say, “a man who
How does this relate to toxic masculinity though? How
earned a cat’s love fully understands how to earn a
could owning a cat be the solution to toxic masculinity
women’s love” (according to Elitedaily).
(according to some)?
Supposedly, cat dads understand balance and women’s
Toxic masculinity is the pressure cultures and/or society
‘multidimensional personalities’: they understand when
put on men to behave and act in a certain way. It usually
to give women their independence and when to give
describes the way in which society’s idea of ‘manliness’
them attention. Cats aren’t as easily read as dogs; it is
involves traits like sexism, homophobia, domination,
much more about picking up subtle clues and
aggression and even a sense of entitlement. The reason
understanding the deep character of your furry friend.
this is now known as ‘toxic’ masculinity is because
Women are often labelled “hard to understand”, but
these behaviours usually have a negative effect on the
with a little cat-training in their life, men can become
male mental health. Most of this comes from the idea
well practiced magicians when it comes to knowing
that men are not ‘allowed’ to show emotions and need
what the females in their lives want!
to be strong, tough men all day, every day.
Making a commitment of (possibly) 15 years might also
Not only is this behaviour sometimes linked to women’s
be a good indicator that someone is not afraid of
safety, but the group of men who we assign the term
commitment and is capable of taking care of someone
‘playboy’ to, the men who like to have a certain power
else other than himself.
and influence over women, tend to be way more
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And they are also:
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“We don’t want blokey blokes who can’t go out and buy emergency tampons if we need them.” (Elitedaily). Women are attracted to empathetic men who are willing to make an effort and some women think they have cracked the code: get yourself a man with a cat.
30% less likely to believe ‘homosexuality is wrong’
-
24% more likely to vote Greens
You might now make your own ordeal as to the impact that a cat can have in your life. This article might have given you a laugh and I hope it is clear to you that this
If this still hasn’t coaxed you into getting a cat (for men)
is a quite absurd hypothesis. But it is food for
or getting yourself a ‘cat man’, take a look at the
thought…could there be some wisdom hidden in this
following statistics:
article? Think about it. Having a cat-sensei might be the
-
70% of cat dads in Australia are either married
secret to pulling birds.
or in a de facto relationship
By Giulia Pipolo
35% of cat men are more likely to earn top dollar than non-cat owners
The Problem of Representation in Disney Movies Disney movies tend to use animals as characters instead
for those movies on their new platform ‘Disney+’
of humans, and some of them even use our favourite
launched in 2019. In The Aristocats, when the little cat
feline friend. As wonderful as those movies were when
family explores the world outside of the comfort of their
we were children, watching them back as adults comes
manor and enter wild Parisian life, they encounter the
with the realisation that there are problems of
Scat Cat, a group of cat musicians. One of them, Shun
representation in Disney cartoons.
Gon, is a Siamese cat.
Indeed, there are harmful and stereotypical depictions
He is drawn with bucked teeth and slanted eyes. It is a
of different ethnicities used, and here we will talk
racist and stereotypical representation of Asians, widely
specifically of Lady and The Tramp (1955) and The
popular around the 1940s and 1950s. We can find a
Aristocats (1970). If these scenes did not shock in the
similar physical representation of Asian characters.
50s and 70s, they are definitely not acceptable nowadays and Disney acknowledges it with a warning
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In Lady and the Tramp which also uses Siamese cats. Si
In the Aristocats, the same pattern is visible. Shun Gon
and Am, just like Shun Gon, are represented with
plays the piano with chopsticks and wears a cymbal on
bucked teeth replacing cat fangs and slanted eyes.
his head. This emulates a rice hat or coolie hat, which is
The fact that the cats used to represent Asian people are Siamese, which is one of the first distinctively recognized breeds of Asian cats, shows how the stereotyped description was an active choice made by the animation team.
a conical hat originating from Southeast Asia. In his musical interlude, he speaks gibberish to pass as Chinese and follows by saying “Fortune cookie always wrong”, underlining the racism and stereotypes that went into the character’s creation. Furthermore, in Lady and The Tramp, Si and Am characters are not the only one based on racist stereotypes. The film features many stereotypes of Asians, Mexicans, Russians, and Italians. Lady and the Tramp and The Aristocats seem to follow a tradition of problematic representation of several cultures and ethnicities in Disney movies. In fact, back
The racist representation of these three characters does not stop at physical attributes and continues in their vocal attributes and tirades - they speak in a broken English with a strong accent.
in the 1930s, Disney made a series of short movies, with different storylines that had the most obviously common and racists stereotypes of the period about Africans, Arabs, and Jews. At the time, it was seen as totally acceptable, but nowadays those representations
In Lady and the Tramp, the song that introduces Si and
are absolutely shocking and to think that children, back
Am in the movie, entitled, ‘We are Siamese if you
in the day and of our generation were raised by Disney
please’ is filled with racist connotations. Their
movies with such depiction is surprising and
villainous attributes are highly intertwined with the idea
outrageous. What seemed so innocent and completely
of otherness and the stereotypical Asian attributes they
understandable at the time is now brutal from an adult’s
were given.
perspective. By Cecile Fardoux
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Feline Good A warm croissant bakes in a sunbeam. She stretches out, twitches in a dream. Stretching, back arched
Green eyes like marbles point to the target as a wiggling tail takes flight, cat like a kite. Touching down on my desk, She sees an empty plate.
Discontented, she voices her protest by walking on my laptop’s keybbbb b nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 9’i
like a bridge over a river.
dxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc#9x89/t|Yy
Hairs too seem to stretch;
I decide to whisk her away to the other room
a groan, eyes close, whiskers shiver. Padding paws on wooden floorboards; an echoing meow, just to hear herself. T he lingering smell of lunchtime’s mackerel tempts a certain keen, black button nose.
Tom
a cat in ‘ih gairden far my noo-snoozin’, elderly cat eence played an’ claimed. Yet,
Oh aye, A see ye swaggerin’ oot ‘ere
I dinna like it sae muckle faan ye cut open bin-
like ye ain ‘ih place, a great muckle
bags
tom cat ‘ih size o’ a dug, sprayin’ ‘ih half-deed hedge, leavin’ yer scent. Ye ‘hink ye’re a real Tommy, dae ye nae? Scoukin’ across fit ye ‘hink is nae-cat’s lan’, snipin’, swipin’ birdies fer lunch fae ‘ih air wi’ oven mitt pa’s. Yer company’s nice, it’s true. It’s nice tae see
wi’ yer clooks like a cutpurse an’ fish ‘ih nearempty tins oot, or fan ye mak a racket howlin’ yer heed aff a’ nicht. Ye’re nae a soldier bit a rogue ‒ a thief. Will ye retreat tae ‘ih rattle o’ ‘ih lock-bolt as A open ‘ih door, catchin’ ye reid-pa’d an’ a’ tuna-mou’d, ye furry fugitive? That’s nae a collar ye’ve on, it’s a brass neck.
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Corsage The bandage on my cat’s wrist is wrapped like a corsage.
Cotton wool splits from the sides like a blossoming flower, covering where the blood bloomed like a bud for a test sample, releasing round drops shaped like her ageing kidneys. She wears the corsage on her wrist, on a shorn spot, as she makes her way home, weary, from an outing to the vet where, at the start of these elapsed years, she was a debutante.
She wears the corsage in the car back from what may be her last dance.
Poems by Blair Center
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The Age of Repetition
Felines in general tend to be viewed as relatively solitary and anti-social animals. They don’t usually form packs; they hunt independently and foster only a handful of offspring. They are also relatively shy creatures, often avoiding contact with humans and other animals. Unless they are at the apex of their environment, they are usually both predator and prey. This explains much of the strange behavior that can be observed both in wild and domesticated cats. A house cat might jump up on a table holding a variety of items and slowly push them off with its paw to make space for themselves to lie down. They might only want to drink from running water such as from a tap while completely ignoring the still water of their bowls. Even their distinctive meowing is somewhat strange, as it is quite rare for adult cats to communicate with each other through meows. They prefer instead to communicate with other cats through body language and with their eyes. Some have even argued that the ‘meow’ is in fact a sound that cats reserve strictly for humans as a way of communicating a need. Mimicry among animals is a fairly well known and studied phenomenon. The behavior is unsurprisingly observed among most primates as well as other large mammals such as whales and dolphins. Birds such as parrots, parakeets and even magpies have the ability to mimic sounds which at times can be quite complex and long. I saw a parrot mimic the sound of a Samsung message signal once! Dogs of course can learn to mimic movements on command for a reward of some kind. This has been studied at length at Eötvös Loránd University’s Ethology department in Budapest; as of late, the house cat has been added to the list of animals who are capable of mimicking. This comes as a bit of a surprise as it was not previously believed that house cats had the cognitive ability to intentionally mimic the actions of other creatures. The Japanese cat, Ebisu - named after a Japanese god of luck - recently proved many animal behaviorists wrong by intentionally mimicking her owner’s movements in return for a treat. For anyone who has owned a cat this may come as less of a surprise. Among the many weird behaviors that I mentioned earlier, some of you readers may attest to your cats jumping up on windowsills, looking at a nearby nest of birds for example and making a strange chattering noise. If you haven’t, I encourage you to look into it on YouTube for example, it is quite cute. It is also quite terrifying when you consider the reason being perhaps for the cat to lure the birds into a sense of calm by mimicking their noises. The intense stare of the cat is probably less in awe of the creatures and more some kind of hunting instinct or hunger. Some have argued that even the ‘meow’ is a sort of mimicry of human language, human babies specifically, to get the attention of their owner. Mimicry is of course very common amongst humans as well. It is a way for us to play or learn, sometimes even to show admiration towards the person we mimic. A teacher once told me that the mother of knowledge is repetition. For many thousands of years before we invented writing, the way we relayed large swathes of information was through the repetition and retelling of stories. Oral history, by means of poetry, storytelling and sometimes even the acting out of certain scenes was the way in which we remembered. Traditions, customs, the very understanding that a people had of themselves and the world was passed down throughout the generations. Elders would tell the stories of their ancestors by the fire and the women and children would sing songs in the fields or while working. The way that humans understood anything came not from books or holy texts, but by the stories that we told each other about ourselves, repeated over and over and over again.
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It seems that repetition and mimicry is extremely important for humans, it is what allows us to remember. And yet there must still be room for new things as well. And so we create paintings and music and sculptures and amazing marvels of architecture. Or at least so it has been for a long time. The more time passes, and the more movies I watch and the more music I hear, the more worried I become. It seems that every movie that gets produced by Hollywood is bland. It has been done before. It’s a remake, a reimagining, or an adaptation. It’s the 6th Spiderman movie and the second remake of the Ghostbusters franchise. It’s the same bland Disney or Star Wars or Superhero movie over and over again. The same predictable, unconvincing plot. The same forgettable characters, the same CGI shit-fest on screen. It’s the latest Fast and Furious movie and whatever the last thing Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson starred in. All of it stooped in a heavy sense of nostalgia for the 80’s and an alienating amount of political pandering. Modern music sounds all the more similar. I cannot distinguish between the new pop songs that I hear and yet I hear them every single day on a radio somewhere. Much of it is either a callback, a reusing of lyrics or melodies, or just a complete disgusting mess of a song. I fear that we are entering an age of repetition. We still have the capacity to create something new. It still happens now and then. But it seems as if more often than not, those few glimpses of greatness get swallowed up by the torrent of modern media. J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the most creative and influential authors of the 20th century, based much of his work on the Norse Sagas as well as the epics of Homer. He kept many of the themes of those stories, but he created a whole world that was unique and independent from them. He lamented at the fact that Britain, unlike the Norse and the Greeks had no distinct mythology and so he sought to create one. Beginning with a complete language that he himself had created, he gradually shaped and formed the world of Middle-Earth and the stories that stem from that world continue to influence all fantasy writers to this day. Tolkien’s effort is one of the clearest examples of human ingenuity in my opinion. He didn’t want to remake or reimagine the mythologies of the past, he wanted to create something new that still upheld the values and beliefs of those old stories. Tolkien’s world is about to be irrevocably altered and ruined with the upcoming Amazon series based on the Silmarillion. How do I know this? I need only to look at the set of cast members. People often critique the political right on their pettiness regarding who gets cast as what in series and films. But when it comes to the works of Tolkien it is an actual issue. How do you take a work that is so tied to a place, a culture, a people and make it about 21st century race politics? Tolkien’s stories were about reaching for something greater, something higher. It was not intended to ‘reflect the modern world’- it was supposed to show the true and good values that each human possesses and the very real threat of evil. What will Amazon’s decision do except push people away? It’s a tragedy really, but not to be unexpected in modern times. Most of all, it’s lazy. It’s an attempt to push a political agenda, but above all, to make money by corrupting the work of another, much greater person. They ride on the back of Tolkien, while telling a story that he never wanted to be told and it will flop, mark my words. Where is the creative spirit embodied by Tolkien today? Who will take up his mantle after him? Is it even possible anymore? Or is everything doomed to be a bland copy of a copy of a remake for all eternity? Perhaps we are simply doomed to drown in the past, to never create anew but to always recycle and look back nostalgically.
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Just as we all lose the innocence of childhood, our capacity to fantasize and create an entire world in our minds as we grow older, so we have lost our capacity to make new stories. Increasingly so, as the records of older stories stack up and the unspoken rules of what and what is not allowed to be made grow more numerous. So, we will always look back, longing for a simpler and better time. Forever attempting to become as good as those who came before us, striving to emulate, maybe even surpass them. A fool’s errand, really. Humans have always looked backwards. As much as the ‘progressives’ of today celebrate the great leaps forward of science and social justice, always looking towards a bright future, life can only be understood backwards, as Kierkegaard once said. Even Tolkien looked to his predecessors for inspiration in his work and maybe Homer did as well. But will what we create now ever be as good as them? Who was the best storyteller throughout history, what was the best story? Perhaps it was those told around the fire by the elders and sung in the fields by the women and children. They remain in us for all of time, their ageless lessons and morals forever ingrained in our mind and which we sometimes are able to summon - however faintly - when we hear a truly great story. Until we learn to once again find and use those lessons, those themes that so interest humans, our stories will be nothing but mindless repetitions with little value. By Luke Litvinov
“is this me?” Trigger warning: this article deals with body dysmorphia and might be upsetting to certain readers. Please proceed with care and ask for support if needed. Unlike the videos we tend to see of our adorable feline
Nevertheless, the ability to recognize oneself exists in
companions, cats do not actually have the ability to
the animal kingdom with dolphins and great apes for
recognize themselves in mirrors. They cannot look at
example, so why not in cats? Is this inability to
their reflection and acknowledge that what they see is
recognize oneself something that humans experience?
who they are.
In fact, cats do not recognize their
owners, homes or even themselves through sight, like most of us would, but through scent. Their selfrecognition is not visual.
To some extent, we can link the inability of certain animals to not recognize their reflection and accept it as their own to what we call Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This disorder is experienced by 1 in 50 people
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according to Katherine Philips from the International OCD Foundation. People of any age or gender can have BDD, but it is most common in teenagers and young adults.
Lucas by Daniel Martin; challenges the idea of ugliness with distorted faces, barely recognized as such but still considered incredibly beautiful as works of art.
Moreover, any part of the body may be involved in BDD. Most people with the disorder feel a lack of Sandra by Daniel Martin; series of portraits that explore
symmetry, or that the body part is too big, too small, or
the idea of appearances and when does a face become
out of proportion in comparison to the rest of the body.
recognizable as one.
This usually begins in late adolescence onwards, but
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is characterized by a
milder symptoms can be experienced as soon as 12
preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or
years old.
flaws in appearance, which are unnoticeable to others.
Scientists believe that BDD is caused by a combination
The individual with BDD experiences excessive self-
of environmental, psychological, and biological factors.
consciousness and feel defined by their flaw. They tend
Bullying or teasing, for example, may create or foster
to repeatedly check on how “bad” their flaw is by
feelings of inadequacy, shame, and fear of ridicule,
obsessively inspecting their appearance in mirrors and
which can lead to developing Body Dysmorphic
reflective surfaces. They try to camouflage or alter the
Disorder. Other mental health disorders are common in
perceived defect in vain, sometimes through needless
people with BDD or share similar symptoms, including
cosmetic procedures or dermatological treatment.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, social anxiety,
Needless to say, this disorder causes isolation, with the
depression and eating disorders.
avoidance of public places, social situations and triggers that may increase distress.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is often perceived as a recent condition and is often undermined. It was recognized in 1981, but it was first described by an Italian psychiatrist, Enrico Morselli, in 1891, and coined “dysmorphophobia”. The term was derived from the word
“dysmorphia”,
a
Greek
word
meaning
misshapenness or ugliness. It is described in his journal
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Disorder
16
Foundation’s
website,
which
offers
testimonies and access to online support groups
as a condition that consists of “the sudden appearance and fixation in the consciousness of the idea of one’s own deformity. (…) The emotion accompanying it becomes one of fear, distress, anxiety, and anguish, compelling the individual to modify his behaviour.” (From the BDD Foundation website)
many
celebrities
have
portrait by Daniel
This disorder has been affecting people for years and nowadays,
Self-
shared
Martin
their
experiences dealing with body dysmorphia, such as Billie Eilish, Robert Pattison or Lady Gaga. For more information and helpful resources for anyone that needs it, I would recommend the Body Dysmorphic By Cecile Fardoux
IMAGO
Cornelis Visscher, The Large Cat, engraving, c.1657 Cornelis Visscher is one of the most celebrated Flemish print makers. In this engraving, Visscher achieved what is often considered to be the most accurate renditions of a cat ever printed with the engraving method and one of the most famous portraits of a cat in Western Art. Engraving is a printmaking technique that involves making incisions into a metal plate which retain the ink that will allow to create a printed image. The metal plate is pressed on a piece of paper using rolling presses. Visscher is known for his close observations of nature. Some interpret the print as an illustration for the saying ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play!’, or for the biblical proverb ‘An idle soul suffers hunger’. The closed eyes of the cat and its seemingly resting posture might allow the mouse to escape danger. The print can also be seen as a tribute paid to domesticised cat.
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The large cat might seem to be sunbathing at first, but a close look at its protracted front paws and alert ears could indicate that it is lying in wait for a prey. The small mouse behind the cat looks paralysed at the view of the ambiguous posture of its enemy. The strong contrast between the largeness of the cat and small size of the mouse depicts a weak mouse who has little chance to walk by unnoticed. In a culture in which cats were used as dispatchers of vermin rather than treasured pets, Visscher pays tribute to cats, considered helpful and useful. Ralph Crane, Black Cat Audition, 1961 Hollywood, the 60s. 152 Black cats are brought by their owners to audition for the movie adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Black Cat. Written in 1843 the piece tells the story of a violent man and his avenging Black cat, Pluto. The 1962 film is a horror compilation of cinematographic adaptations of different Edgar Allan Poe stories called Tales of Terror. If dogs are usually the pets reaching stardom through movies, here cats were given a chance too. Journalist Eliza Berman talks about cats ‘considerably less nervous than their owners’ and cats being disqualified for a little white nose or a little white paw. In the movie adaptation, The Black Cat story is combined with another of Poe’s stories, The Cask of Amantillado. In the movie are to be found two other stories by the Gothic writer: Morella and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. This attempt to tell four stories by the darkest American writer of all times was ambitious. Most critical reception of the movie was disappointed at how the fear and anguish, everything that characterises Poe’s style, simply did not translate on screen. In the middle of the making of this movie, 7 Black cats – out of 152 – were selected ‘on account of having the meanest faces’ to be understudies for the main feline star who actually had already filled the role, a professional. If the critics were not happy with the Tales of Terror, 7 cat owners might have gained the coolest story to tell. By Déborah Lazreug
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The Journal of Matters Relating to Felines…
…Thanks everyone that made the publication of this issue possible and thank you to our dedicated readers.
Committee
Editors
Cecile Fardoux, President
Rosie Guy
Déborah Lazreug, Secretary
Déborah Lazreug
Thomas Meiehofer, Treasurer
Cecile Fardoux
Writers Giulia Pipolo, Animal Behaviour student Luke Litvinov, Philosophy student Rosie Guy, English Literature Blair Center, English Literature Thea Mainprize, Biosystematics student Déborah Lazreug, English Literature and Art History student Cecile Fardoux, English Literature with Creative Writing student
Where to find us and get involved… journalofmattersrelatingtofelines@outlook.com or felines@ausa.org.uk
Journal of Matters Relating to Felines
@journalofmatters
@journalofmatter
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