The World of René Girard: Interviews (Studies in Violence, Mimesis & Culture)

In 1988, Nadine Dormoy conducted a series of interviews with Ren Girard at a pivotal moment in his career, just after a number of books and conferences had situated his work in a new context of research on self-organizing systems. In these interviews, Girard discusses the flurry of intellectual activity that followed the landmark 1981 Stanford University conference, Disorder and Order. Attended by several Nobel prize winners and other important intellectual figures, this event expanded his reputation in Europe and laid the groundwork for later accolades, including the Modern Language Associations Award for Lifetime Scholarly Achievement and being elected as a member of the Acadmie Franaise. Girard also discusses Theater of Envy, his then-forthcoming book on Shakespeare and his first book written in English, as well as corrects several misunderstandings of his mimetic hypothesis. Dormoy is a spirited interlocutor, like Girard a postwar migr who came to make a new life for herself teaching French in American universities. Translated into English for the first time by leading mimetic studies scholar William A. Johnsen, The World of Ren Girard is a must-have for those new to and familiar with Girards work. Contents Translator's Note | William A. Johnsen A Preliminary Note Prologue Chapter 1. In the Shadow of the Palais des Papes Chapter 2. America as a Mirror Chapter 3. The Sacred, the Religious, and the Biblical Chapter 4. The King and the Orphan Chapter 5. The Infernal Triangle Chapter 6. Socio-economic Emergences Chapter 7. France and Its Myths Notes