Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract: "For I pray God for the ostriches of Salisbury Plain, the beavers of the Medway and silver fish of Thames" ( Jubilate Agno , B153): species extinction in Christopher Smart's unique poem is the focal point of this essay. That the poem's ecstatic scope offers a leveling care for the nonhuman has been acknowledged, but here I argue that it speaks out of abjection: the poet is the supplicant, asking all Earth's creatures to advocate for him before God. Additionally, focusing particularly on the figure of the beaver, I highlight the medieval animal fable as a valid mode of understanding better our animal kin today.
Min Wild (Sat,) studied this question.