Rene Girard and Myth

Richard Golsan is Professor of French at Texas A & M University. He is editor of The Papon Affair (Routledge 2000).

"For the student of myth the book marks a promising prospect for the future direction of myth studies; for the Girardian, it signals the move from marginal to mainstream of a theory that not only rocks the closed hierarchy of academic disciplines but may open the way to an eventual, even wider, interinstitutional dialogue." -- The Bulletin of the Colloquium on Violence & Religion"...an excellent and much needed introduction not only to Girard's concept of myth but to Girard's thought in general." -- Cesareo Bandera, Zygon"A clear, well-balanced treatment of Girard's writings and thought. [Contains] the most complete bibliography pertaining to Girard's research that has yet appeared in print." -- James G. Williams, Religion"Golsan makes the foundations of Girardian theory as accessible as possible." -- Gary M. Ciuba, Kent State University Christianity and Literature"Golsan's lucid account makes it clear that his subject's main contribution to myth has been the insight that myth is a narrative that suppresses the violence from which it originates It is, indeed, an ambitious work that seeks to encompass various modern approaches to both myth and literature, most traditional types of myth, and most of the important developments in "mythification" in twentieth=century literature." -- Religious Studies Review"The crowning virtue of Richard J. Golsan's book Rene Girard and Myth is its consistent clarity; Golsan proceeds with remarkable economy through a complex body of thought." -- The Journal of Religion

• Series Editor's Foreword; List of Abbreviations; Introduction; Chapter One: From Triangular Desire to Interdividual Psychology; Chapter Two: Sacrificial Violence and Scapegoat; Chapter Three: Myth; Chapter Four: The Bible: Antidote to Violence; Chapter Five: Girard's Critics and the Girardians; Interview; A Venda Myth Analyzed by Rene Girard; Bibliography