Parrot

by Carter, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781861892379
• ISBN10: 1861892373
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Reaktion Books

Summary

Paul Carter's Parrot is a fascinating natural and cultural history. The book covers three broad areas: 'Parrotics' - the historical, cultural and scientific classifications of parrots; 'Parroternalia' - the association of parrots with the different languages, ages, tastes and dreams of society; and 'Parrotology' - the mimicry of parrots and what that can tell us about our own systems of communication. Highly illustrated, with images drawn from a wide range of cultures, historical periods and media, Parrot is a roller-coaster ride through parrots in literature, jokes, folklore, mythology, film, TV, and children's stories worldwide, as well as an examination of parrot conservation, talking bird experiments and parrot portraiture. This book differs from previous histories, which have treated parrots as subjects of curiosity and a pretext for elegy. A new kind of animal history, Parrot is philosophical and poetic: it takes seriously the critical and ironic mirror that parrots hold up to human society. Humorously written and wide-ranging in scope, Parrot will have broad appeal, and will be of interest to parrot enthusiasts and specialists, as well as a general readership.

Author Biography

Paul Carter is professorial research fellow at the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne, and athe uthor of Repressed Spaces: The Poetics of Agoraphobia, also published by Reaktion Books.

Table of Contents

Preface: Cage, Net, Web	7	(3)
Introduction: Communicating Parrots	10	(13)
Parrotics	23	(44)
Parroternalia	67	(68)
Parrotology	135	(43)
Timeline	178	(2)
Parrot Jokes	180	(3)
References	183	(18)
Bibliography	201	(2)
Associations and Websites	203	(2)
Acknowledgements	205	(1)
Photo Acknowledgements	206	(3)
Index	209