J. M. Coetzee's 'Dog-Man' and the Cynicism of Disgrace

The article argues that Coetzee's novel Disgrace positions the animal not only as opposed to protagonist David Lurie but also in him. The novel dramatizes this by focusing on Eros: Lurie gradually replaces his idea of desire derived from the Romantics (Wordsworth, Coleridge) with an idea of instinct that suggests Eros to be common to humans and animals. I argue that Lurie ultimately arrives at a stance similar to that of Diogenes of Sinope, the contemporary of Plato and main representative of the Cynics. Seen against this background, Lurie's metamorphosis into a 'dog-man' becomes readable as recognition of his own animality, a recognition that has decisive consequences for an ethical reading of the novel.