Les Animaux dénaturés
Encyclopedia
Les Animaux dénaturés is a 1952 novel by Jean Bruller
under his pseudonym Vercors, which was turned into the motion picture Skullduggery
, starring Burt Reynolds
. English-language editions appeared under the titles You Shall Know Them, The Murder of the Missing Link, and Borderline.
The author also adapted it into a play called Zoo ou l'Assassin philanthrope.
of human evolution. What they find is not a fossil, but an actual population of ape-like creatures, called Paranthropus greamiensis after the finder, and dubbed Tropis.
A businessman named Vancruysen has the idea to use them as cheap workforce without rights or pay. The scientists then realize they are to come up with a definitive answer to the problem of whether or not the Tropis are human, something they have avoided to do on the grounds that fixing an arbitrary limit between human and non-human is akin to the sorites paradox
.
They try to used the criterion of interfertility, but it appears that Tropi females can be impregnated by sperm from both man and ape, making impossible to decide before the offspring reach reproductive age.
To force the authorities to reach a decision, thus giving legal protection of the Tropis whether as animals or citizens, one of the scientists deliberately kills the baby born from one Tropi female impregnated by his own sperm. The trial will then determine whether he committed murder, (making the Tropis human) or simply killed an animal.
, reviewing the first American edition, found the novel "uniquely original. . . . shocking and fascinating, and the moral and ethical implications tremendous." P. Schuyler Miller
received the novel favorably, noting that it handled its theme "more quietly, less emotionally [and] less melodramatically" than familiar genre treatments of the subject. The Calgary Herald
declared it "the best novel of 1953" and described it as "a fine, ironic commentary on our affairs." Time magazine
found it to be a "pungent" satire, '"more supple than subtle,"
but faulted its "halfhearted love story" and concluded it was "more a polemic than a novel."
Jean Bruller
Jean Marcel Bruller was a French writer and illustrator who co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit with Pierre de Lescure and Yvonne Paraf. During the World War II occupation of northern France he joined the Resistance and his texts were published under the pseudonym Vercors.Several of his novels have...
under his pseudonym Vercors, which was turned into the motion picture Skullduggery
Skullduggery (film)
Skullduggery is a 1970 science fiction film starring Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark and Edward Fox.The screenplay is based on the French novel Les Animaux dénaturés by Jean Bruller.-Plot:...
, starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
. English-language editions appeared under the titles You Shall Know Them, The Murder of the Missing Link, and Borderline.
The author also adapted it into a play called Zoo ou l'Assassin philanthrope.
Plot
Anthropologists travel to Africa to search for the so-called missing linkMissing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
of human evolution. What they find is not a fossil, but an actual population of ape-like creatures, called Paranthropus greamiensis after the finder, and dubbed Tropis.
A businessman named Vancruysen has the idea to use them as cheap workforce without rights or pay. The scientists then realize they are to come up with a definitive answer to the problem of whether or not the Tropis are human, something they have avoided to do on the grounds that fixing an arbitrary limit between human and non-human is akin to the sorites paradox
Sorites paradox
The sorites paradox is a paradox that arises from vague predicates. The paradox of the heap is an example of this paradox which arises when one considers a heap of sand, from which grains are individually removed...
.
They try to used the criterion of interfertility, but it appears that Tropi females can be impregnated by sperm from both man and ape, making impossible to decide before the offspring reach reproductive age.
To force the authorities to reach a decision, thus giving legal protection of the Tropis whether as animals or citizens, one of the scientists deliberately kills the baby born from one Tropi female impregnated by his own sperm. The trial will then determine whether he committed murder, (making the Tropis human) or simply killed an animal.
Reception
Groff ConklinGroff Conklin
Edward Groff Conklin was a leading science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories , wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects as well as a published poet...
, reviewing the first American edition, found the novel "uniquely original. . . . shocking and fascinating, and the moral and ethical implications tremendous." P. Schuyler Miller
P. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller was an American science fiction writer and critic.-Life:Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a life-long interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as an amateur archaeologist and a member of the New York State Archaeological Association.He...
received the novel favorably, noting that it handled its theme "more quietly, less emotionally [and] less melodramatically" than familiar genre treatments of the subject. The Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
declared it "the best novel of 1953" and described it as "a fine, ironic commentary on our affairs." Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
found it to be a "pungent" satire, '"more supple than subtle,"
but faulted its "halfhearted love story" and concluded it was "more a polemic than a novel."