Dust+Jacket+Flaps



Immediately the viewer can see the continuity of stark images used on the cover flaps. The two meat images remind the viewer of the cow head on the cover, even though they are not the same design. They have no outlining except from the dark background, and the white marbling of animal fat in the unappealing blood red make the depiction elementary. These meat images frame the white and red text in the middle of the flap, continually reminding the viewer that the meat is central to the book. The dramatic contrasts and images are highlighted through the verbiage used in the actual text. Words like: dramatic, brutal, appalling, championed and tremendous impact run through the novel’s synopsis of its content and cultural impact.

The pieces of meat are articulating and instigating a continued cultural discussion that the synopsis exposes. The images play on the appealing images of beef ready to be cooked as the central piece of a family dinner. The images of beef cuts are a commentary on a culture schism, between vegetarians, and omnivores. The values of a majority consumer society, of meat-eaters, are represented through these pieces of meat which encompasses socio-economic and cultural influences. Because of the cover, however, the negative connotations of the cover as a whole is represented in these small images and inflamed with the text between them. The voice of animal activism resonates to a sympathetic consumer, as well as the majority with less emotional connection and thus connects both groups to the message being portrayed on the flaps.

The ultimate purpose of these flaps is to encourage the reader to continue, and to turn the page to elaborate its position. The drama is apparent through the use of color and purposeful language in the synopsis. Understatedly, the text and images are also convincing the reader that 100 years after the publication of the book, its message is still relevant and controversial. The covers do not directly mention the continued discussion of animal rights today, but the images and dramatic colors imply the modernity and the impact that the book continues to have.