The Last Dinosaur Book: The Life and Times of a Cultural Icon

"Science is a cultural practice," states W.J.T. Mitchell in The Last Dinosaur Book, a postmodern look at the enduring human fascination with dinosaurs. He maintains that dinosaurs (and dinomania) are the cultural manifestation of the collective unconscious--their existence as extinct organisms is secondary. Dinosaurs are our totems, our only real monsters, and, paradoxically, our pets. Our fascination with them, as indicated by the popularity of Barney, Jurassic Park, and endless stream of toys, lunchboxes, books, stickers, and t-shirts, is born of human need to personify our fears, hatreds, and fascinations with all things "big, fierce, and extinct." In drawing paleontological parallels to human society, Mitchell compares old-school dinosaurs, lumbering and stupid, to monopoly capitalism. But postmodern dinosaurs are faster and more vicious, just like third-stage capitalism: "T. Rex is no longer seen as a lumbering giant, analogous to a tank or locomotive, but is depicted as a large and extremely dangerous chicken." Mitchell's thesis can seem forced, especially when he devotes an entire chapter to "Why Children Hate Dinosaurs," but he does take a good, close look at an extremely odd cultural phenomenon. --Therese Littleton