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This Reader in Rene Girard's body of work is intended to present excerpts and articles which cover all the basic aspects of Girard's theory of religion and culture, with special emphasis on his present position on certain questions. The selections are arranged in six parts and an epilogue. The first part offers two selections giving an overview of the mimetic theory. One of these is a journal article which is Girard's own favorite written introduction to his work. The second part focuses on mimetic desire, which is absolutely necessary to understand before proceeding further in Girard's work. Chapter 3 in part 2, on triangular desire from the first chapter of Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, is fundamental for sharpening the focus on mimetic desire. Then the beginning reader will be prepared for part 3 on sacrifice and part 4 on the scapegoat and myths as persecution texts. Part 5 provides selections on what Girard considers to be the most important aspect of his work, establishing the place of the Jewish and Christian Bible, especially the Gospels, in the unveiling of the scapegoat mechanism and the unmasking of scapegoaters (including ourselves)... --taken from A Note to the Reader
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