Mimesis, Movies, and Media: Violence, Desire, and the Sacred, Volume 3
Ebook
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.
Showcases the most recent work on the influence of René Girard's theories on film and media studies.
Applies Girard's mimetic theory to popular media, film and television
Showcases Girard's influence beyond the traditional domains of continental theory
First-rate cast of international scholars, assembled by the Australian Girard Seminar
Contributors
Introduction
Part 1: Media and Representation
1. On the One Medium
Eric Gans (University of California, Los Angeles)
2. The Scapegoat Mechanism and the Media: Beyond the Folk Devil Paradigm
John O'Carroll (Charles Sturt University)
3. The Apocalypse Will Not Be Televised
Chris Fleming (University of Western Sydney)
Part 2: Film
4. Mirrors of Nature: Artificial Agents in real life and virtual worlds
Paul Dumouchel (Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Japan)
5. Superheroes, Scapegoats and Saviours: Mimesis, Sacred Violence, and the Redemptive Vision of The Dark Knight
Joel Hodge (Australian Catholic University)
6. Sanctified Victimage on Page and Screen: The Hunger Games as Prophetic Media
Debra E. MacDonald (University of Auckland)
7. The Mimetic E-Motion: From The Matrix to Avatar
Nidesh Lawtoo (John Hopkins University)
8. Apocalypse of the Therapeutic: The Cabin in the Woods and the Death of Mimetic Desire
Peter Paik (University of Milwaukee)
9. Eyes Wide Shut: Mimesis and Historical Memory in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining
David Humbert (Thorneloe College, Laurentian University)
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
Scott Cowdell (Charles Sturt University)
11. A Beautiful Crisis? Ang Lee's Film Adaptation of The Ice Storm
Carly Osborn (University of Adelaide)
12. Cowboy Metaphysics, the Virtuous-Enough Cowboy, and Mimetic Desire in Stephen Fears' The Hi-Lo Country
Thomas Ryba (Purdue University/University of Notre Dame)
Section 3: Television
13. The Self in Crisis: Watching Mad Men and Homeland with Girard and Hegel
Paolo Diego Bubbio (University of Western Sydney)
14. Media, Murder and Memoir: Girardian Baroque in Robert Drewe's The Shark Net
Rosamund Dalziell (Charles Sturt University)
15. Conversion in Dexter
Matthew John Paul Tan (De Paul University) and Joel Hodge (Australian Catholic University)
Appendix: René Girard at a Glance
Glossary of Key Girardian Terms
Further Reading
Index
An engaging, illuminating exploration of how mimetic theory is reflected in popular media ... I would recommend Mimesis, Media, and Movies as an introduction to Girard's thought, especially with undergraduate students who may find critical, academic analysis of popular media engaging and illuminating.
A theater professor once said that Girard's book on Shakespeare was head-and-shoulders more insightful than anything else she had ever read on the playwright. This collection of superb essays takes the powerful insights of Girard's mimetic theory and applies them to the contemporary analogs of Shakespeare: films, television shows, and popular literature. Girard himself says very little along these lines, which leaves the field open for scholars to creatively apply his framework-confirming it, advancing it, and modifying it as appropriate to the cultural artifacts under consideration. Given that Girard's scholarly efforts arose primarily out of his study of literature, this extension of his project is not only justified, it is in fact necessary to enable the scholarly world to grasp more clearly the scope and importance of his research program. This program is not an abstract, ivory tower, exercise, but an effort to understand the world we live in.
In addition to their own contributions, the editors of this volume have assembled an opulent menu of essays on every aspect of contemporary media, from TV series to the Internet, from film to 'faits divers.' Our communication culture's romance with violence and the pathologies that fuel it are widely and wisely and deeply explored.
- Title: Mimesis, Movies, and Media: Violence, Desire, and the Sacred, Volume 3
- Authors: Scott Cowdell, Chris Fleming, Joel Hodge
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781628924657, 9781501324376, 1501324373, 1628924659
- Resource ID: LLS:9781628924657
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-12T01:32:27Z
Scott Cowdell is Research Associate Professor in Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University, Canberra, Australia, and Canon Theologian of the Canberra-Goulburn Anglican Diocese. He is Founding President of the Australian Girard Seminar.
Chris Fleming is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Anthropology, School of Humanities and Languages, the University of Western Sydney, Australia. His is the author of Violence and Mimesis (2004) and is Vice-President of the Australian Girard Seminar.
Joel Hodge is Lecturer in Systematic Theology, School of Theology, Australian Catholic University, Australia. He is the author of Resisting Violence and Victimisation: Christian Faith and Solidarity in East Timor (2012) and is Treasurer and Secretary of the Australian Girard Seminar.