Mimesis and Theory

"Mimesis and Theory" assembles twenty previously uncollected essays by René Girard, the influential French-American theorist whose mimetic theory revolutionized literary and anthropological studies. These essays, spanning five decades of Girard's intellectual development, trace the evolution of his central thesis: that human desire is fundamentally mimetic, learned through imitation of others, and that this mechanism underlies both individual psychology and broader cultural phenomena including violence, scapegoating, and religious ritual. The collection offers scholars and serious readers a comprehensive view of how Girard's ideas developed from his early literary analyses to his broader anthropological theories. While building on insights from his seminal "Deceit, Desire, and the Novel," these essays venture into new territory, examining everything from Shakespeare and Dostoevsky to primitive religions and modern violence. Girard's provocative arguments about the origins of culture, the nature of sacrifice, and the hidden patterns underlying literary works continue to generate debate across disciplines, making this volume essential for understanding one of the twentieth century's most controversial and influential thinkers.

Robert Doran's "Mimesis and Theory" examines the relationship between literary representation and critical theory through close readings of key texts from Aristotle to contemporary theorists. Academic readers appreciate its rigorous engagement with both classical and modern theoretical frameworks, though some find its dense argumentation challenging to follow. Liked: - Clear exposition of complex theoretical concepts from Aristotle's Poetics to postmodern criticism - Insightful connections between mimetic theory and contemporary literary studies - Comprehensive bibliography that serves as valuable research resource - Balanced treatment of competing theoretical perspectives without taking partisan stance Disliked: - Dense academic prose that may overwhelm readers unfamiliar with theory - Limited practical application of theoretical insights to specific literary works - Occasionally repetitive arguments that could benefit from tighter editing

Principles of Literary Criticism by I.A. Richards - Richards' foundational work on how literature creates meaning through reader response shares Doran's interest in the mechanics of literary interpretation and critical theory. Anatomy of Criticism by Northrop Frye - Frye's systematic approach to literary archetypes and modes offers a complementary structural framework to Doran's exploration of mimetic theory. Writing and Madness: Literature/Philosophy/Psychoanalysis by Shoshana Felman - Felman's interdisciplinary analysis of the boundaries between literature and philosophy mirrors Doran's theoretical sophistication and cross-disciplinary methodology. Personality in Greek Epic, Tragedy, and Philosophy: The Self in Dialogue by Christopher Gill - Gill's examination of character representation in ancient texts provides historical grounding for the mimetic questions that preoccupy Doran. The Tain of the Mirror: Derrida and the Philosophy of Reflection by Rodolphe Gasché - Gasché's rigorous engagement with Derridean deconstruction offers the kind of philosophical precision that readers of Doran's theoretical work will appreciate. Being in Time: Selves and Narrators in Philosophy and Literature by Genevieve Lloyd - Lloyd's investigation of temporality and selfhood in narrative provides another angle on the relationship between representation and reality that drives mimetic theory. What Is Literature? by Jean-Paul Sartre - Sartre's foundational questions about literature's social function and meaning-making capacity resonate with the fundamental concerns of mimetic theory. Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag - Though Sontag advocates against over-interpretation, her sharp theoretical insights and cultural criticism will appeal to readers interested in the tensions between theory and literary experience.

• The collection spans over fifty years of Girard's critical production, from the 1960s through the early 2000s, showing the remarkable consistency and evolution of his theoretical framework. • Girard's mimetic theory, central to these essays, has influenced fields far beyond literature, including anthropology, psychology, economics, and political science. • Several essays in the collection were originally delivered as lectures at prestigious institutions, including some that were never previously published in English. • Girard's work on scapegoating mechanisms, explored in several of these essays, has been applied to understanding everything from medieval witch hunts to modern political persecution.