Mimesis and Theory: Essays on Literature and Criticism, 1953-2005
Mimesis and Theory bring together twenty of René Girard’s uncollected essays on literature and literary theory, which, along with his classic, Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, have left an indelible mark on the field of literary and cultural studies. Spanning over fifty years of critical production, this anthology offers unique insights into the origin, development, and expansion […]
Sacrifice: Breakthroughs in Mimetic Theory – by René Girard
In Sacrifice, René Girard interrogates the Brahmanas of Vedic India, exploring coincidences with the mimetic theory that are too numerous and striking to be accidental. Even that which appears to be dissimilar fails to contradict the mimetic theory but instead corresponds to the minimum of illusion without which sacrifice becomes impossible. The Bible reveals collective […]
Job: The Victim of His People – by René Girard
What do we know about the Book of Job? Not very much. The hero complains endlessly. He has just lost his children all his livestock. He scratches his ulcers. The misfortunes of which he complains are all duly enumerated in the prologue. They are misfortunes brought on him by Satan with God’s permission. We think […]
I See Satan Fall Like Lightning – by Rene Girard
One of Girard’s most important books, and one highly recommended for beginners –especially those interested in the religious implications of his work. It starts exploring the tenth commandment, which Girard believes is really an injunction against mimetic rivalry, and goes on to explain the apparent similarities between mythology and the Gospels. In Girard’s view, the […]
Evolution and Conversion: Dialogues on the Origins of Culture – by René Girard
Evolution and Conversion explore the main tenets of René Girard’s thought in a series of dialogues. Here, Girard reflects on the evolution of his thought and offers striking new insights on topics such as violence, religion, desire and literature. His long argument is a historical one in which the origin of culture and religion is reunited […]
Deceit, Desire, and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure – by René Girard
This study extends beyond the scope of literature into the psychology of much of our contemporary scene, including fashion, advertising, and propaganda techniques. In considering such aspects, the author goes beyond the domain of pure aesthetics and offers an interpretation of some basic cultural problems of our time.” Check out Deceit, Desire, and the Novel […]
Christianity, Truth, and Weakening Faith: A Dialogue – by René Girard
The debate over the place of religion in secular, democratic societies dominates the philosophical and intellectual discourse. These arguments often polarize around simplistic reductions, making efforts at reconciliation impossible. Yet more rational stances do exist, positions that broker a peace between relativism and religion in people’s public, private, and ethical lives. Christianity Truth and Weakening […]
Battling to the End: Conversations with Benoît Chantre – by René Girard
Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), the Prussian military theoretician who wrote On War, is known above all for his famous dictum: “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” In René Girard’s view, however, the strategist’s treatise offers up a more disturbing truth to the reader willing to extrapolate from its most daring observations: with modern […]
Anorexia and Mimetic Desire – René Girard
René Girard shows that all desires are contagious—and the desire to be thin is no exception. In this compelling new book, Girard ties the anorexia epidemic to what he calls mimetic desire: a desire imitated from a model. Girard has long argued that, far from being spontaneous, our most intimate desires are copied from what […]
Theater Of Envy: William Shakespeare – by René Girard
In this ground-breaking work, one of our foremost literary and cultural critics turns to the major figure in English literature, William Shakespeare, and proposes a dramatic new reading of nearly all his plays and poems. The key to A Theater of Envy is Girard’s novel reinterpretation of “mimesis.” For Girard, people desire objects, not for […]