Overview

Building on the growing recognition and critical acclaim of volumes 1 and 2 of Violence, Desire, and the Sacred, this third volume in the series showcases the most groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research in mimetic theory, with a focus on well-known films, television series, and other media. Mimesis, Movies, and Media reaches beyond the traditional boundaries of continental theory to demonstrate how scholars apply and develop René Girard’s insights in light of contemporary media. It brings together major Australian and international scholars working at the intersection of popular culture and philosophy.

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9781501324376

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Reviews

A theater professor once said that Girard's book on Shakespeare was head-and-shoulders more insightful than anything else she had ever read on the playwright. This collection of superb essays takes the powerful insights of Girard's mimetic theory and applies them to the contemporary analogs of Shakespeare: films, television shows, and popular literature. Girard himself says very little along these lines, which leaves the field open for scholars to creatively apply his framework-confirming it, advancing it, and modifying it as appropriate to the cultural artifacts under consideration. Given that Girard's scholarly efforts arose primarily out of his study of literature, this extension of his project is not only justified, it is in fact necessary to enable the scholarly world to grasp more clearly the scope and importance of his research program. This program is not an abstract, ivory tower, exercise, but an effort to understand the world we live in. Charles Bellinger, Charles Bellinger, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics, Brite Divinity School / Texas Christian University, USA In addition to their own contributions, the editors of this volume have assembled an opulent menu of essays on every aspect of contemporary media, from TV series to the Internet, from film to 'faits divers.' Our communication culture's romance with violence and the pathologies that fuel it are widely and wisely and deeply explored. Andrew McKenna, Professor of French Language and Literature, Loyola University Chicago, USA

A theater professor once said that Girard's book on Shakespeare was head-and-shoulders more insightful than anything else she had ever read on the playwright. This collection of superb essays takes the powerful insights of Girard's mimetic theory and applies them to the contemporary analogs of Shakespeare: films, television shows, and popular literature. Girard himself says very little along these lines, which leaves the field open for scholars to creatively apply his framework-confirming it, advancing it, and modifying it as appropriate to the cultural artifacts under consideration. Given that Girard's scholarly efforts arose primarily out of his study of literature, this extension of his project is not only justified, it is in fact necessary to enable the scholarly world to grasp more clearly the scope and importance of his research program. This program is not an abstract, ivory tower, exercise, but an effort to understand the world we live in. * Charles Bellinger, Charles Bellinger, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics, Brite Divinity School / Texas Christian University, USA * In addition to their own contributions, the editors of this volume have assembled an opulent menu of essays on every aspect of contemporary media, from TV series to the Internet, from film to 'faits divers.' Our communication culture's romance with violence and the pathologies that fuel it are widely and wisely and deeply explored. * Andrew McKenna, Professor of French Language and Literature, Loyola University Chicago, USA *

Author Information

Scott Cowdell is Research Associate Professor in Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University, Canberra, Australia, and Canon Theologian of the Canberra-Goulburn Anglican Diocese. He is Founding President of the Australian Girard Seminar. Chris Fleming is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Anthropology, School of Humanities and Languages, the University of Western Sydney, Australia. His is the author of Violence and Mimesis (2004) and is Vice-President of the Australian Girard Seminar. Joel Hodge is Lecturer in Systematic Theology, School of Theology, Australian Catholic University, Australia. He is the author of Resisting Violence and Victimisation: Christian Faith and Solidarity in East Timor (2012) and is Treasurer and Secretary of the Australian Girard Seminar.

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