An article in a Mexican newspaper alludes to Waugh’s novel The Loved One. The article is about the cloning of pets and opens with this:
In The Loved One , one of his lesser-known novels – though caustic and scathing like all of his [fiction] – Evelyn Waugh portrayed the well-to-do American society of the mid-twentieth century. There he explored the springs of both sentimental necrophilia and class snobbery, resulting in a particular conception of death, especially that of the small species, always so dear to our hearts. With this novel Waugh was involved in the world of funeral rites for pets. Nowadays, outside of fiction, dogs and cats can be cloned by an Argentine company paying a stipend that ranges between 65 and 100 thousand dollars.
The story goes on to describe the technology of BIOCAN, a South Korean company that will clone your deceased dog, and soon cat, and send the live replica back to you. In an updated edition of Waugh’s novel, Dennis would forward bits of the animal to BIOCAN and then sometime later receive its replacement for presentation to the owners. Given the size of the fees, the commission enjoyed by the Happy Hunting Ground would probably more than equal the fees for incineration and burial. How this new business plan would affect the disposition of the remains of Aimee Thanatogenos in Waugh’s story is less certain. Here are the directions:
When your dog dies, DO NOT GO TO THE FREEZER. Then, patiently, follow these instructions:
1. Wrap body completely with wet bath towels.
2. Put it in the refrigerator (not in the freezer) to keep it cool.
3. Take into account that you have approximately five days after the death to successfully and safely extract the living cells.
The story appears in La Prensa de Monclova and is written by Rafael Toriz. It also appears on the Mexican website Vice. Translation is by Google Translate with a few edits
