Mimesis, Movies, and Media Volume 3: Violence, Desire, and the Sacred

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. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Contributors Introduction Part 1: Media and Representation 1. On the One Medium The utopian market Media holdouts: The two originary modes Old and new media Conclusion Notes 2. The Scapegoat Mechanism and the Media: Beyond the Folk Devil Paradigm Cohen on the scapegoat Girard, the scapegoat, and the ontology of difference Cohen and Girard on the “sociology of the scapegoat” Mediation, media, and representation The case of the celebrity as sacred and scapegoat Conclusion Notes 3. The Apocalypse Will Not Be Televised Improper nouns: Auschwitz and “Auschwitz” The deeply troubling joy of the deeply troubling image The Holocaust and victimary culture Hiroshima: Back to the future The join Conclusion Notes Part 2: Film 4. Mirrors of Nature: Artificial Agents in Real Life and Virtual Worlds Notes 5. Superheroes, Scapegoats, and Saviors: The Problem of Evil and the Need for Redemption Motivations: Justice, revenge, and goodness Negative mimesis: Evil, rivalry, and scapegoating Why do we need a savior? Positive mimesis, modeling, and redemption What kind of savior? The Dark Knight as savior Christ, the Church, and the superhero Conclusion Notes 6. Sanctified Victimage on Page and Screen: The Hunger Games as Prophetic Media The rite The preparation of the victim (Under)mining, modeling, memorials, and mimicry The role of the masses Notes 7. The Matrix E-Motion: Simulation, Mimesis, Hypermimesis Mimetic simulations Mimetic quarrels reloaded Digital phantoms Hypermimetic e-motions Notes 8. Apocalypse of the Therapeutic: The Cabin in the Woods and the Death of Mimetic Desire Notes 9. Eyes Wide Shut: Mimesis and Historical Memory in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Notes 10. Against Romantic Love: Mimeticism and Satire in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, and To Rome with Love I II III IV Notes 11. A Beautiful Crisis? Ang Lee’s Film Adaptation of The Ice Storm Evidence of mimetic desire Evidence of mimetic crisis Conclusions Notes 12. Cowboy Metaphysics, the Virtuous-Enough Cowboy, and Mimetic Desire in Stephen Frears’s The Hi-Lo Country Forms of life, cowboying, and Aristotelian values Women as horses Girardian desire and cowboy rivalry Christian values win out Pete’s narrative as the speculum of self and memory Notes Part 3: Television 13. The Self in Crisis: Watching Mad Men and Homeland with Girard and Hegel “The way that they saw themselves is gone”: Mad Men and the cracked self “Everyone’s not me”: Homeland and the shattered self “It was about redemption”: Girard, Hegel, and the reconstruction of the self Notes 14. Media, Murder, and Memoir: Girardian Baroque in Robert Drewe’s The Shark Net Mimetic doubling Mimetic crises Scapegoats Conclusion Notes 15. Conversion in Dexter Dexter as novelist Conversion in the Dexterian novel? Conclusion Notes Appendix: René Girard at a Glance Glossary of Key Girardian Terms Further Reading Index Introduction -- Media and representation. On the one medium / Eric Gans -- The scapegoat mechanism and the media: beyond the folk devil paradigm / John O'Carroll -- The apocalypse will not be televised / Chris Fleming -- Film. Mirrors of nature: artificial agents in real life and virtual worlds / Paul Dumouchel -- Superheroes, scapegoats, and saviors: the problem of evil and the need for redemption / Joel Hodge -- Sanctified victimage on page and screen: The hunger games as prophetic media / Debra E. Macdonald -- The mimetic e-motion: from The matrix to Avatar / Nidesh Lawtoo -- Apocalypse of the therapeutic: The cabin in the woods and the death of mimetic desire / Peter Y. Paik -- Eyes wide shut: mimesis and historical memory in Stanley Kubrick's The shining / David Humbert -- Against romantic love: mimeticism and satire in Woody Allen's Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona; you will meet a tall dark stranger; and To Rome with love / Scott Cowdell -- A beautiful crisis: Ang Lee's film adaptation of The ice storm / Carly Osborn -- Cowboy metaphysics, the virtuous-enough cowboy, and mimetic desire in Stephen Fears' The hi-lo country / Thomas Ryba -- Television. The self in crisis: watching Mad men and Homeland with Girard and Hegel / Paolo Diego Bubbio -- Media, murder, and memoir: Girardian baroque in Robert Drewe's The shark net / Rosamund Dalziell -- Conversion in Dexter / Matthew John Paul Tan and Joel Hodge "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 Ren 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."--Bloomsbury Publishing. 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 a