Prepared by Martha J. Reineke
Professor of Religion Emeritus, University of Northern Iowa
COV&R Annual Meeting Co-Coordinator
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY INTRODUCING RENÉ GIRARD
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Comprehensive Essays
In 1997, Girard offered the D’Arcy Lecture at Oxford University, offering an overview of themes that had been central to his work. It is available here.
In 2007, Éditions Grasset published an omnibus edition of Girard’s four primary works (see list under III below) titled De la violence à la divinité. It included an introduction by Girard in which Girard offers an overview of his major works. James Alison and Andrew McKenna translated the introduction into English: “Introduction.”
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Conversations
A number of publications feature Girard in interviews. Perhaps more accurately described as partners in dialogue than as interlocutors, these interviewers draw out from Girard the full scope of his thought.
Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World (Stanford University Press, 1987) features conversational partners Jean-Michel Oughourlian and Guy Lefort.
Evolution and Conversion: Dialogues on the Origins of Culture with Pierpaolo Antonello and João Cezar de Castro Rocha (Continuum, 2007)
When the Things Begin: Conversations with Michel Treguer translated by Trevor Cribben Merrill (Michigan State University Press, 2014).
Conversations with René Girard: Prophet of Envy edited by Cynthia Haven (Bloomsbury, 2020).
Violence, the Sacred, and Things Hidden: A Discussion with René Girard at Esprit (1973) translated by Andrew J. McKenna, (Michigan State University Press, 2021).
The World of René Girard: Interviews with Nadine Dormoy translated by William A. Johnsen (Michigan State University Press, 2024). Interviews date from 1981following a Stanford University Conference that laid groundwork for international recognition of Girard’s thought.
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Collections
The Girard Reader edited by James Williams (Crossroad Herder, 1996).
In 2023, Penguin Classics published a selection of essential writings edited by Cynthia Haven under the title All Desire is Desire for Being.
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Core Texts
- Deceit, Desire, and the Novel (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1965)
- Violence and the Sacred (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1977)
- Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (Stanford University Press, 1987).
- The Scapegoat (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986)
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Critical Scholarship
Databases in the humanities and social sciences offer a massive bibliography of critical literature on Girard and mimetic theory. The journal Contagion and two dedicated series published by Michigan State University Press—“Studies in Mimesis and Culture” and “Breakthroughs in Mimetic Theory”–offer insight into trends in Girardian scholarship in recent years. Contagion (current and back issues) is accessible at no charge to members of COV&R and books in the series are offered at a reduced charge.
https://msupress.org/journals/contagion/
https://msupress.org/search-results-grid/?series=studies-in-violence-mimesis-and-culture
https://msupress.org/search-results-grid/?series=breakthroughs-in-mimetic-theory
https://violenceandreligion.com/membership/
Note:
Many of the texts listed above are available in languages other than English. The bibliography of Girard’s works in the Penguin Classics All Desire Is a Desire for Being (Cynthia Haven, editor) lists the French editions and publication dates of Girard’s works.
CONFERENCE THEMES ADDRESSED BY GIRARD
Theatre
The most expansive contributions to the meeting theme come from Girard’s writings on theatre.
A Theater of Envy: William Shakespeare (Oxford University Press, 1991)
Greek tragedy: Greek tragedies are mentioned by Girard in a number of his publications, including in multiple sections of Violence and the Sacred, with special attention to Oedipus Rex. Similar discussions occur throughout Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World.
A particularly helpful introduction to Girard’s thought on Greek tragedy is a collection of essays published as Oedipus Unbound, edited by Mark R. Anspach (Stanford University Press, 2004).
Architecture
Although Girard has written little on the subject, as our plenary speaker list demonstrates, contemporary architects and architectural historians are drawing on mimetic theory in very interesting ways.
Architects and Mimetic Rivalry (Papadakis Press, 2012) includes an essay by Girard as well as essays by Leon Krier, Samir Younes, and Kent Bloomer.
Visual Arts
Girard’s exploration of art includes discussions of ritual objects in Violence and the Sacred. In these discussions, Girard understands that objects produce meaning rather than only depict it. He also acknowledges that the medium of communication is the ritual object. When he considers the cultural “work” that ritual objects do, his commentary has similarities with ways in which artists and art historians discuss complex functions and experiences of art. By contrast, when Girard discusses art, he tends to see sculptures and paintings as a form of story-telling for which the closest analogy is a work of literature.
Violence and the Sacred draws on art as illustrative of themes of mimetic rivalry, sacrifice, and the representation of the guilt or innocence of the victims. See for example: Girard’s discussion of ritual masks at the end of Chapter 7 (mimetic doubles), He also refers several times to Greek tragedies as works of art in comments which, by extension, could be explored in reference to the visual arts. See for example his brief commentary on how to examine a work of art from the perspective of the victim (p. 207).
Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World: Greek sculptural portrayals are mentioned, but notably, as is the case when works of art are discussed in Violence and the Sacred, these sculptures are understood primarily as illustrative of key themes Girard is exploring. Less clear is that Girard also sees art is eventful—unfolding in an encounter between the work, its materials and context, and the viewer. Yet artists and art historians emphasize that art is not a translation of ideas into images; rather, a work of art is its own medium, acting upon the one who views it.
It’s clear which of the themes the conference co-coordinator would be writing on were she not planning the conference. Have at it, all!