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Dinomania: Why We Love, Fear and Are Utterly Enchanted by Dinosaurs
At once reptilian and avian, dinosaurs enable us to imagine a world far beyond the usual boundaries of time, culture and physiology. We have envisioned them in diverse and contradictory ways, reflecting, in part, our changing conceptions of ourselves. Their discovery, around the start of the nineteenth century, was intimately tied to our awareness of geological time; their vast size and power called to mind railroads, battleships and factories, making dinosaurs, paradoxically, emblems of modernity. At the same time, their world was nature at its most pristine, and they simultaneously symbolized childhood innocence and wonder. Dinosaurs also provided a sort of code that has enabled people to speak indirectly about the possibility of our own extinction. Not unlike humans today, dinosaurs seem at once both powerful – almost godly – and helpless in the face of cosmic forces even mightier than themselves.
This book tells the story of our romance with the titanic saurians, from early stories that were inspired by their bones to the dinosaur theme parks of today. It concludes that, in our imaginations, dinosaurs are, and always have been, essentially dragons, and their representation today is once again blending with the myth and legend from which it emerged at the start of the modern period.
This book tells the story of our romance with the titanic saurians, from early stories that were inspired by their bones to the dinosaur theme parks of today. It concludes that, in our imaginations, dinosaurs are, and always have been, essentially dragons, and their representation today is once again blending with the myth and legend from which it emerged at the start of the modern period.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2018
About the author
Boria Sax
28 books74 followersI first became interested in the literature of animals around the end of the 1980's, not terribly long after I had obtained my PhD in German and intellectual history. I was feeling frustrated in my search for an academic job and even study of literature. By accident, I came across an encyclopedia of animals that had been written in the early nineteenth century. There, without any self-consciousness, was a new world of romance and adventure, filled with turkeys that spoke Arabic, beavers that build like architects, and dogs that solve murders. Within a few months, I had junked my previous research and devoted my studies to these texts.
Today, I shudder how nervy the switch was for a destitute young scholar, who, despite one book and several articles, had not managed to obtain any steady job except mopping floors. But soon I had managed to publish two books on animals in literature, The Frog King (1990) and The Parliament of Animals (1992). Around 1995, I founded Nature in Legend and Story (NILAS, Inc.), an organization that combines storytelling and scholarship. It was initially, a sort of rag-tag band of intellectual adventurers who loved literature but could not find a niche in the scholarly world. We put together a few conferences, which generated a lot of excitement among the few who attended, but little notice in academia or in what they sometimes call "the real world."
From fables and anecdotes, I moved to mythology, and published The Serpent and the Swan (1997), a study of animal bride tales from around the world. This was followed by many further publications including an examination of the darker side of animal studies, Animals in the Third Reich (2000), and a sort of compendium, The Mythical Zoo (2002), and a cultural history of corvids entitled Crow (2003). My most recent book is City of Ravens: London, its Tower and its Famous Ravens (2011), and Imaginary Animals will be published soon by Reaktion Books in London.
When I embarked on the study of animals in myth and literature, even graduate students did not have to mention a few dozen books just to show that they had read them. In barely more than a couple decades, the literature on human-animal relations has grown enormously in both quantity and sophistication. NILAS, I am proud to say, has become a well established organization, which has sponsored two highly successful conferences together with ISAZ.
But as the study of animals, what I like to call "totemic literature," becomes more of a standard feature of academic programs, I fear that something may be lost. It is now just a little too easy to discourse about the "social construction" and the "transgression" of "boundaries" between animals and human beings. Even as I admire the subtlety of such analysis, I sometimes find myself thinking, "So what?"
Having been there close to the beginning, part of my role is now to preserve some the sensuous immediacy, with that filled the study of animals in literature when it was still a novelty. That sort of "poetry" is not simply a luxury in our intellectual pursuits. With such developments as cloning, genetic engineering, and the massive destruction of natural habitats, we face crises so unprecedented that traditional philosophies, from utilitarianism to deep ecology, can offer us precious little guidance. The possibilities are so overwhelming, that we hardly even know what questions to ask. But neither, I am sure, did the fugitive who once encountered a mermaid in the middle of the woods.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 20, 2019
An interesting read that tries to unearth our fascination with dinosaurs. Sax covers a variety of different ideas, from the way we see dinos as a mirror of humans and our corporations to their sublime otherworldly qualities. A bit too philosophical in some parts (but still quite interesting) for me, and just not exactly what I was expecting in the end. Great photos and posters though, especially the engravings from the 1800s. Made me realize that might be a reason I never grew out of my dinosaur phase.
January 1, 2019
There were some interesting elements, but it suffered from an identity crisis. I think it tried to be too many things at once. Sometimes it read like a textbook, other times like a keynote address. It over-thought a lot of concepts and applied intentions and sweeping generalizations a bit heavy-handedly. There were some good elements, but overall it was hard to follow.
The pictures throughout the book really bothered me. Most of them didn't fit with the content where they were placed and there were places I would like images and there were none.
The pictures throughout the book really bothered me. Most of them didn't fit with the content where they were placed and there were places I would like images and there were none.
February 19, 2019
I enjoyed the concepts which the author tried to present here, but I'm not certain that I can agree with the full fleshing out of the theories he used in the latter stages of the book, especially concerning whether dinosaurs could be considered "human" in terms of their dominance of the world in their era. He does raise a good point about the anthropocentric views of evolution and how dinosaurs stand out like a rather sore thumb, and how we ignore/show less interest in the actual mammalian ancestors of that era, as well as the more recent megafauna like mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers.
The quick history of palaeontology was genuinely fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about the rival bonehunters in late 19th century America. Being British, I wasn't really aware of how dominant dinosaurs became in US advertising/marketing during the first half of the 20th century, so that was interesting too.
Maybe the author was a little too quick to dismiss what he calls "dino-kitsch", which is his term for the more recent upsurge in interest in dinosaurs, primarily driven by Jurassic Park (the novel and the film). The fact that a whole new generation is having their interest piqued, particularly as actual palaeontology is developing newer theories about dinosaurs, shouldn't be belittled.
The quick history of palaeontology was genuinely fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about the rival bonehunters in late 19th century America. Being British, I wasn't really aware of how dominant dinosaurs became in US advertising/marketing during the first half of the 20th century, so that was interesting too.
Maybe the author was a little too quick to dismiss what he calls "dino-kitsch", which is his term for the more recent upsurge in interest in dinosaurs, primarily driven by Jurassic Park (the novel and the film). The fact that a whole new generation is having their interest piqued, particularly as actual palaeontology is developing newer theories about dinosaurs, shouldn't be belittled.
November 27, 2020
“We still stylize the dinosaur world in many contradictory ways, all of which are partial images of ourselves.”
While Boria Sax’s “Dinomania” is overflowing with insights into Dinosaurs, it is primarily about how we feel about them and are shaped by them. It is a delightful read, and I recommend it to anyone who has interest in paleontology or anthropology. It is beautifully illustrated and insightful.
While Boria Sax’s “Dinomania” is overflowing with insights into Dinosaurs, it is primarily about how we feel about them and are shaped by them. It is a delightful read, and I recommend it to anyone who has interest in paleontology or anthropology. It is beautifully illustrated and insightful.
December 31, 2018
A little heavy on philosophy for my taste, so I skimmed some parts but other parts were thoroughly interesting. The author ends the book stating that he’s not a fan of dinosaur kitsch... but without that would anyone read his book? I love dinosaur kitsch... I dress my toddler in head to toe dino clothes in the hopes that someday he’ll be as interested in the beasts as I am.
May 30, 2019
For a variety of reasons, most books about dinosaurs spent a lot of time talking about evolution (something this book does) but spend little time talking about the history of views about dinosaurs. This author, on the other hand, is immensely interested (if not always approving of) the way that dinosaurs have been viewed in public culture from ancient times to contemporary times. One can see ancient imaginary creatures that appear in some way inspired by dinosaurs, including the widespread historical interest in dragons. The author is certainly free with his criticism about much portrayal of dinosaurs, which he calls kitsch, and he at least struggles to wrestle with the reason why the evolutionary worldview has done such a poor job at countering the native (and proper) human tendency to anthropomorphize other beings as a way of showing approval of and understanding of something. It would appear, whatever that says about us, that in order for us to empathize with something and understand something that we must view it in our own image and likeness, which is one of the more unsettling and obvious demonstrations of imago dei that the author is disinclined to wrestle with.
This particular book is about 250 pages and contains eight chapters that are full of odd material, including a great dela of material about dinosaurs in advertising as well as sculpture parks that have dinosaur statues. The first part of the book looks at the discovery of dragon bones all over the world and the way that dinosaurs entered into the public consciousness before dinosaurs were viewed as creatures of deep time (1). After that the author views how dragons became dinosaurs over the course of the 19th century (2). He looks at the earliest dinosaurs and the way that they were portrayed in Victorian art and sculpture as a way of better understanding the popular conception of dinosaurs (3) and also discusses the shift in how dinosaurs have been viewed from the Crystal Palace in the 1850's to their appearance in Jurassic Park (4). The author talks about the dinosaur renaissance (5), the way that dinosaurs are a totem of modernity and its fears and anxieties (6), the way that dinosaurs and their fate have led to the expression of a great deal of fears about extinction (7), and the way that our conception of the past is a dinocentric world in the same sort of way that our contemporary world is portrayed as anthrocentric.
In reading this book, it is pretty easy to understand why it is that we are so fond of dinosaurs. In many ways, we view them as being creatures like ourselves, cute, somewhat intelligent, occasionally predatory, and deeply interested in questions of power. The fact that there is no chance, outside of some particularly harrowing attempts at genetic engineering, that we will ever encounter dinosaurs makes it easier to project our own sense of dominance and our own fears of self-destruction onto them. None of this is exactly new, but this book does at least manage to address the importance of dinosaurs in popular culture and the way that unlearned people who are interested in dinosaurs generally are at least as up-to-date if they want to be with the cutting edge research in the field. The author is also interested in the question of scientific revolutions and the fragmentary nature of understanding about dinosaurs, and though the author isn't the most sympathetic of people when it comes to popular conceptions of dinosaurs, by at least addressing popular culture and religious past, the author does a better job than most regarding the subject.
This particular book is about 250 pages and contains eight chapters that are full of odd material, including a great dela of material about dinosaurs in advertising as well as sculpture parks that have dinosaur statues. The first part of the book looks at the discovery of dragon bones all over the world and the way that dinosaurs entered into the public consciousness before dinosaurs were viewed as creatures of deep time (1). After that the author views how dragons became dinosaurs over the course of the 19th century (2). He looks at the earliest dinosaurs and the way that they were portrayed in Victorian art and sculpture as a way of better understanding the popular conception of dinosaurs (3) and also discusses the shift in how dinosaurs have been viewed from the Crystal Palace in the 1850's to their appearance in Jurassic Park (4). The author talks about the dinosaur renaissance (5), the way that dinosaurs are a totem of modernity and its fears and anxieties (6), the way that dinosaurs and their fate have led to the expression of a great deal of fears about extinction (7), and the way that our conception of the past is a dinocentric world in the same sort of way that our contemporary world is portrayed as anthrocentric.
In reading this book, it is pretty easy to understand why it is that we are so fond of dinosaurs. In many ways, we view them as being creatures like ourselves, cute, somewhat intelligent, occasionally predatory, and deeply interested in questions of power. The fact that there is no chance, outside of some particularly harrowing attempts at genetic engineering, that we will ever encounter dinosaurs makes it easier to project our own sense of dominance and our own fears of self-destruction onto them. None of this is exactly new, but this book does at least manage to address the importance of dinosaurs in popular culture and the way that unlearned people who are interested in dinosaurs generally are at least as up-to-date if they want to be with the cutting edge research in the field. The author is also interested in the question of scientific revolutions and the fragmentary nature of understanding about dinosaurs, and though the author isn't the most sympathetic of people when it comes to popular conceptions of dinosaurs, by at least addressing popular culture and religious past, the author does a better job than most regarding the subject.
February 13, 2019
Lightweight and free form, the effect of this book is like listening to a favorite professor muse over a topic close to his heart. It makes a good companion to the big Taschen volume Paleoart that I read last month. Essentially a meditation on the "meaning" of dinosaurs, Sax traces the cultural impressions of the great beasts from their discovery through approximately the heyday of the Jurassic Park craze, stopping along the way to discuss emergent theories of paleontology and the reflections of dinosaurs in the tropes and metaphors of human, especially American, existence. The illustrations are adequate to the task, though in many cases, they are only smaller versions of the masterful pages of Paleoart, which makes this book's unofficial role as a companion even more evident. There have been a handful of other books that have covered similar ground, but this one is more personal and a touch more eccentric than some.
January 10, 2024
i loved learning all about the discovery of dinosaurs and how people have related to them throughout time. there were a lot of interesting things to think about, especially at the end wrt taxonomy- that's what brought the book from a 2.5 to a 3 imo. however, the author made a lot of tenuous claims about what dinosaurs have represented in different eras that just seem very shaky and unconvincing to me. a lot of that sort of commentary fell flat.
July 9, 2024
I really wanted to like Dinomania, being the sucker that I am for culture-meets-natural-history and pop science books. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first few chapters because of how bloated the writing felt. Almost every sentence is passive voice and you'd be hard-pressed to find a stronger verb than "to be." It's hard to enjoy a fascinating topic when the writing is so weak.
DNF, but not for lack of trying. :/
DNF, but not for lack of trying. :/
November 18, 2022
My books, as you may have noticed, are never just about their subjects. This one uses dinosaurs to talk about, among other things, transience, the nature of time, totems, extinction, science, art, modernity and the unhuman destiny of humankind.
I hope to write several more books before I'm done, but, at almost 70, I am more acutely aware that the time allotted, whether long or short, is not endless, for us any more than for the dinosaurs. Note the dedication: "To the little boy I used to be, in the hope that he may yet grow up to be a dinosaur." Is this autobiographical, then? Well, in a way. If you like the book, he will be unabashedly pleased and so will I.
Boria Sax
I hope to write several more books before I'm done, but, at almost 70, I am more acutely aware that the time allotted, whether long or short, is not endless, for us any more than for the dinosaurs. Note the dedication: "To the little boy I used to be, in the hope that he may yet grow up to be a dinosaur." Is this autobiographical, then? Well, in a way. If you like the book, he will be unabashedly pleased and so will I.
Boria Sax
March 5, 2020
A great resource for our dinosaur unit!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews