Beginning literary animal studies is an introduction to the rapidly developing field of human-animal studies in the humanities with particular emphasis on literature. The book introduces the foundations of this subject in science, theory and ethics, and its development in the close study of the relationship that humans have with other animal species. Human-animal studies are advancing across a very broad front, the book unpicks the various strands in this approach and demonstrates how they may be applied in practical examples of literary criticism of creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry. Growing interest in the part played by animals in our culture and of our culture’s impact on animals, has inspired contemporary writers. It has also led critics in the humanities to new interpretations of both contemporary and canonical works. This book introduces the whole field of literary animal studies in a way that enables students to choose how they will approach this important field of study.