Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History

“Looking back now, I can see that I’d started my inquiry with something less than a completely open mind.”

In the Prologue, Schutt establishes his theory that society is both equally appalled and fascinated by the idea of cannibalism. He does not elevate himself about others; he confesses to approaching the subject with a lack of scientific objectivity. His lack of open-mindedness is a frank admission that earns the audience’s sympathy, establishing him as a credible narrator for the journey into a taboo subject. This moment also reflects the theme of Breaking the Social Taboo of Cannibalism, as Schutt admits he, too, was influenced by the discomfort society has imposed on the subject before beginning his investigation.

“Although the Eloi-Morlock relationship was clearly meant to serve as a cautionary tale of the horrors of class distinction, H.G. Wells imagined a biological phenomenon remarkably similar to what researchers like David Pfennig and his colleagues are working on today.”

Schutt demonstrates the close links between scientific and cultural understandings of cannibalism. H.G. Wells’s depiction of cannibalism endures, Schutt implies, because it has scientific value. It drives toward the same fear of cannibalism being a fundamental part of animal or human behavior, rather than something entirely alien or impossible. Wells’s depiction, and other cultural depictions of cannibalism, resonate particularly strongly because they align so closely with scientific reality.

“My personal favorite example of piscine cannibalism is yet another instance in which immature animals are the ones getting consumed.”

Schutt is aware of the taboo against cannibalism. His writing is self-aware in this sense, wryly reveling in the examples from nature which exhibit some of the most fundamental aspects of the taboo.