Post by Calaminty Jane on Jun 25, 2009 9:33:52 GMT -5
Horses In Literature: A Whinny on a Page is Like Pavlov's Bell
by Eleanor Van Natta
Reprinted from theequinest.com
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009
I Like a Good Extended Trot Through the Pages
When I am not writing, I love to read. My time to read is usually when I am in the bathtub at the end of the day before going to bed. Since that is my time to recuperate from the day, I cannot read just any old book; I usually like at least a little bit of horse to trot through the pages in order to hold my interest.
Growing up, I loved the classics such as My Friend Flicka and Black Beauty like any other horse crazy girl.
As an adult, books like Seabiscuit, Chosen By A Horse, and other stories of triumph over adversity involving horses are now my favorites.
I also like great historical fiction involving the Celts, who were consummate horse lovers, books like The White Mare and my all time favorite, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Those books may not have as much horse as I would prefer, but the plot and the characters are so good as to let me forget that fact, if only for the time it takes to finish the book.
Classical Conditioning and Horse Lovers
I think if you are a horse lover, you are almost subconsciously drawn to anything even remotely related to horses. I gravitate towards books with cover designs that include a horse, and sometimes I even pick out a bottle of wine over similar wines if it has a horse on its label (reader warning: these are not always guarantees of quality). Also, a good piece of horse art can stop me in my tracks.
The horse can elicit such a powerful response that it reminds me of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. We as horse lovers have become conditioned to metaphorically "salivate" when we see or hear anything horse related. I like to think of this as further proof that we just cannot help ourselves when it comes to horses. Our spouses may not like this idea, but Pavlov was awarded the Nobel prize for his work on classical conditioning.
The Horse As A Symbol
Whether it is in literature, poetry, art, or other forms of artistic expression, the symbol of the horse can stir and awaken us deep down in our souls.
The horse signifies something very grand and worthy, almost sacred, and deserving of our worship. We are at once both sickened and fascinated at how such a revered beast as the horse can inspire great worship as well as meet up with so much cruelty and utter disregard (as in the classic story of Black Beauty).
We don't know quite what to do with these feelings sometimes; the incongruency of it all can be overwhelming. As horse lovers, we are probably drawn to horses at least in part because we greatly value the congruency of these animals; anything less than that can be very unsettling.
Wild horses are a great example of this; we love that they symbolize freedom, and we are almost paralyzed by the knowledge of their persecution, captivity, and destruction.
We read books about the plight of wild horses and hopefully we are moved to do something, but it is not surprising when we don't.
A Whinny on the Page is a Loud Bell
Even though we are not on our horses' backs, breathing their breath, and feeling the heat of their bodies, we are rewarded nonetheless when presented with horses in a novel. They awaken the same deep part of our souls, the same memories, as if they were standing there right beside us. Pavlov's bell rings, and we are transformed into the helpless dogs that salivate and drool as the horses in the book become alive to us.
About Eleanor
Eleanor Van Natta is a wife, a mother of two little girls, and a caretaker to one dog, one cat, and one horse. She has a Zoology degree from the University of CA, Davis, and prior to becoming a stay at home mom she had a career in environmental and pharmaceutical sales. You can find more of her writing on her blog Sage By Nature.
by Eleanor Van Natta
Reprinted from theequinest.com
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009
I Like a Good Extended Trot Through the Pages
When I am not writing, I love to read. My time to read is usually when I am in the bathtub at the end of the day before going to bed. Since that is my time to recuperate from the day, I cannot read just any old book; I usually like at least a little bit of horse to trot through the pages in order to hold my interest.
Growing up, I loved the classics such as My Friend Flicka and Black Beauty like any other horse crazy girl.
As an adult, books like Seabiscuit, Chosen By A Horse, and other stories of triumph over adversity involving horses are now my favorites.
I also like great historical fiction involving the Celts, who were consummate horse lovers, books like The White Mare and my all time favorite, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Those books may not have as much horse as I would prefer, but the plot and the characters are so good as to let me forget that fact, if only for the time it takes to finish the book.
Classical Conditioning and Horse Lovers
I think if you are a horse lover, you are almost subconsciously drawn to anything even remotely related to horses. I gravitate towards books with cover designs that include a horse, and sometimes I even pick out a bottle of wine over similar wines if it has a horse on its label (reader warning: these are not always guarantees of quality). Also, a good piece of horse art can stop me in my tracks.
The horse can elicit such a powerful response that it reminds me of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. We as horse lovers have become conditioned to metaphorically "salivate" when we see or hear anything horse related. I like to think of this as further proof that we just cannot help ourselves when it comes to horses. Our spouses may not like this idea, but Pavlov was awarded the Nobel prize for his work on classical conditioning.
The Horse As A Symbol
Whether it is in literature, poetry, art, or other forms of artistic expression, the symbol of the horse can stir and awaken us deep down in our souls.
The horse signifies something very grand and worthy, almost sacred, and deserving of our worship. We are at once both sickened and fascinated at how such a revered beast as the horse can inspire great worship as well as meet up with so much cruelty and utter disregard (as in the classic story of Black Beauty).
We don't know quite what to do with these feelings sometimes; the incongruency of it all can be overwhelming. As horse lovers, we are probably drawn to horses at least in part because we greatly value the congruency of these animals; anything less than that can be very unsettling.
Wild horses are a great example of this; we love that they symbolize freedom, and we are almost paralyzed by the knowledge of their persecution, captivity, and destruction.
We read books about the plight of wild horses and hopefully we are moved to do something, but it is not surprising when we don't.
A Whinny on the Page is a Loud Bell
Even though we are not on our horses' backs, breathing their breath, and feeling the heat of their bodies, we are rewarded nonetheless when presented with horses in a novel. They awaken the same deep part of our souls, the same memories, as if they were standing there right beside us. Pavlov's bell rings, and we are transformed into the helpless dogs that salivate and drool as the horses in the book become alive to us.
About Eleanor
Eleanor Van Natta is a wife, a mother of two little girls, and a caretaker to one dog, one cat, and one horse. She has a Zoology degree from the University of CA, Davis, and prior to becoming a stay at home mom she had a career in environmental and pharmaceutical sales. You can find more of her writing on her blog Sage By Nature.