A systematic introduction into the mimetic theory of the frenchamerican literary theorist and philosophical anthropologist rene girard, this essential text explains its three main pillars mimetic desire, the scapegoat mechanism, and the biblical difference with the help of examples from literature and philosophy. Clear, comprehensive, analytically acute, this volume shows palaver to be a worthy successor to his austrian colleague, raymund schwager, as girards interpreter and collaborator. If youd like to learn more about how mimetic theory impacts the world around us, check out discipleship seminars in mimetic theory for information on scheduling a seminar. Rene girards mimetic theory by wolfgang palaver books on. Mimetic literary criticism by carina sotelo on prezi. Mimetic theory is a concept developed and advocated for by rene girard, 20thcentury french anthropologist. Mimesis, basic theoretical principle in the creation of art. Coleridge begins his thoughts on imitation and poetry from plato, aristotle, and philip sidney, adopting their concept of imitation of nature instead of other writers. Mimetic theory is the namesake for my consulting company mimetic arbitrage llc. As eating isnt any longer confined to an taking that is agential of meals through the mouth, boundaries of outside and inside are reconfigured. Apr 25, 2017 my two recent books have referenced rene girards mimetic theory. All literature stems from the mimetic theory developed during the golden age of greece by plato and aristotle.
Many authors use this technique in their writings to help define the true meaning of humanity and life itself. Professor of comparative literature, born in france but living and working in the united states, he analyses the novelistic masterpieces in which he perceives the problem of the desire in a different way. Platos theory of mimesis and aristotles defence literary. In practice, mimetic critical theory often asks how well the literary work conveys universal truths and teaches the reader positive. Mimetic theory is important because it allows us to think clearly and honestly about the greatest threat to human survival. Before the term was used by the philosopher aristotle in his poetics, this greek word identified a process of imitation or. In comparative studies of chinese and western poetics, however, there exists a widely accepted opinion that mimetic theory is. Plato and aristotle while literary theory, as a school of thought or mode of literary criticism, is very much a product of the mid to late 20th century academic world, the first recorded theories of literature extend back to the ancient greek philosophers plato and aristotle. The mimetic theory of literary criticism places primary importance on how well a literary work imitates life. In summary, we can say that mimetic theory consists of three interconnected movements. The target learners are graduate and postgraduate students. Mimetic theory, which girard first hit upon teaching french literature and reading the great novelists psychological analysis of their characters, is the idea that our desires are imitative. Introduction the mimetic theories judge a literary work of art in terms of imitation.
Then the indication of the word literary criticism along with the origin and development of literary criticism has to be examined. Xxxv by dietmar regensburger, university of innsbruck published in. Less well documented is the great importance of mimetic theories of literature, theater, and the visual arts during the renaissance and the enlightenment. Rene girards mimetic theory began with an understanding about desire and blossomed into a grand theory of human relations. An outsider in every field, rene girard has changed scholars thinking in literature, anthropology, and religion. Objective theoryobjective theory literature is an autonomous object literature is selfliterature is selfcontained entitycontained entity lit t i lfliterature is a selfsurpasssurpassi titing entity literature should be isolated from other external elements 2282011 intro. Mimetic theory was developed by rene girard through his studies in multiple disciplines, including mythology, anthropology, and history. Mimetic theory is an attempt to explain humanitys tendency toward violence and the social mechanisms we use to preserve society. Since plato applied the mimetic theory on literature and separated it from narrative, mimesis has been. There are many ways in which criticism may be classified. A critical overview of literary criticism in english literature. Mimesis by gunter gebauer, christoph wulf paperback.
For this purpose, all these theories treat a work of art as photographic reproduction i. Mimetic theories are associated with classical and neoclassical criticism, and particularly with philosophers plato and. Literature is not the exact reproduction of life in all its totality. Mimesis is one of the most fundamental ideas in western poetics. One of the marks of genius is to notice something vitally important and seemingly obvious but which never before had been. If you get this popup more than once after november 27, allow cookies for this site. The mimetic theories judge a literary work of art in terms of imitation. In comparative studies of chinese and western poetics, however, there exists a widely accepted opinion that mimetic theory is a cultural invention unique to the western tradition.
The word is greek and means imitation though in the sense of representation rather than of copying. Thesis statement mimetic literary criticism is unique and has been used in a variety of commentaries to help expose how the real world works. Mimesis, or imitation, as he referred to it, was a crucial concept for samuel taylor coleridges theory of the imagination. Mimesis criticism looks to identify intertextual relationships between two texts that go beyond simple echoes, allusions, citations, or redactions. Start studying literary theory and criticism mimetic theory. Although not all art is or purports to be mimetic, the very concept of art is inconceivable without a theory of mimesis. Rene girards mimetic theory studies in violence, mimesis. Platos republic, books iii and x and aristotles poetics.
Pdf bibliography of literature on the mimetic theory vol. Four basic paradigms in the literature on sociological theory are identified and briefly described in. If you want to learn more about this theory, and why it is so important for understanding life, scripture, and ourselves, below is a video i recorded about all of this last year. Mimesis criticism is a method of interpreting texts in relation to their literary or cultural models. Art imitates idea and so it is imitation of reality.
The word mimetic comes from the greek word mimesis, the act of imitation. Pdf a critical overview of literary criticism in english. Mimetic theory originated with rene girard, a french polymath whose seminal insights into the nature of human desire bridges diverse fields such as anthropology, literary criticism, religious studies, psychology, ethnology, sociology, philosophy, and others. Mimetic theory of literary criticism pen and the pad. Mimetic theories are associated with classical and neoclassical criticism, and particularly with philosophers plato and aristotle. It offers the best available analysis of the causes of conflict, the contagion of violence, and the pervasive use of scapegoating by. The palgrave handbook of mimetic theory and religion. Plato and aristotle spoke of mimesis as the representation of nature. Mimetic theories constitute a mainstream in western aesthetics. With its rich academic and institutional resources in literature and the arts, the lmu and its local partner institutions are ideally suited for the. Using these mental models, i have developed a proprietary. Mimetic criticism that is literary important in literature as it links art, literature, with mankind and assists the reader link utilizing the commentary itself. Bibliography of literature on the mimetic theory vol. The popup is set to stop once cookies are in place.
Mimetic theory s key insight is that human desire is not an autonomous process, but a collective one. What is most fascinating in girards mimetic theory is its broad and bold scope. Mimetic literary criticism by lorena ruelas on prezi. His gift of seeing resemblances is nothing other than a rudiment of the powerful compulsion in former times to become and behave like something else. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. There are some major critical theories such as mimetic, pragmatic, expressive, and objective. Nov 10, 2015 mimetic theory, which girard first hit upon teaching french literature and reading the great novelists psychological analysis of their characters, is the idea that our desires are imitative.
Introduction to literatureintroduction to literature. Based on the insights of great novelists and dramatists cervantes, shakespeare, stendhal, proust, and dostoevsky girard realized that human desire is not a linear process, as often thought, whereby a person autonomously desires an inherently desirable. He has written from the perspective of a wide variety of disciplines. In his theory of mimesis, plato says that all art is mimetic by nature. Although he rarely calls himself a philosopher, many philosophical implications can be derived from his work. Books applying mimetic theory in nontheological areas. This is the earliest way of judging any work of art in relation to reality whether the representation is accurate verisimilitude or not. Mimesis, or imitation imitatio, was a widely used rhetorical tool in antiquity up until the 18th centurys romantic emphasis on originality. As eating isnt any longer confined to an taking that is agential of meals through the mouth, boundaries of outside and. Mimetic criticism emphasizes a works relationship to the world it depicts, and judges its quality in terms of its verisimilitude, the fidelity of its imitation, or the reflection of the world and life. The palgrave handbook of mimetic theory and religion draws on the expertise of leading scholars and thinkers to explore the violent origins of culture, the meaning of ritual, and the conjunction of theology and anthropology, as well as secularization, science, and terrorism. Jul 26, 20 in his theory of mimesis, plato says that all art is mimetic by nature.
A theory of everything a summary of rene girards mimetic. Literary criticism, psychology, anthropology, sociology, history, biblical hermeneutics and theology. The econtent uploaded on this website is on literary theory and criticism. Plato and aristotle while literary theory, as a school of thought or mode of literary criticism, is very much a product of the mid to late 20th century academic world, the first recorded theories of literature extend back to the.
The highest capacity for producing similarities, however, is mans. Mimetic theorys key insight is that human desire is not an autonomous process, but a collective one. Imitation is constant, scapegoating is an everpresent temptation, and violence is wrong. Literary theory and criticism mimetic theory flashcards. Based on the insights of great novelists and dramatists cervantes, shakespeare, stendhal, proust, and dostoevsky girard realized that human desire is not a linear process, as often thought. Jun, 2017 mimetic theory comes from the greek word mimesis, which means imitation and representation, and it states that people are influenced by each other and the world around them, when creating, in many different ways.