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gonza_basta's review against another edition
3.0
Per quanto molto interessante, a volte l'ho trovato un pochino ripetitivo, specialmente nelle parti che riguardavano Proust e Dostoevskj. Comunque l'idea del mediatore che sceglie l'oggetto del desiderio mi é piaciuta molto e con essa tutte le varie riletture dei classici presi in considerazione, a partire dal Don Chisciotte.
marc129's review against another edition
Thorough analysis of the greatest prose writers. Basic pattern in every society: the tendency to imitate, but concealed.
pabloignacio's review against another edition
3.0
Sentimientos encontrados con Girard. Sabor amargo, me siento estúpido y vacío. Un poco perro que se muerde la cola. Me voy a leer las novelas(las que me faltan) que trata para ver qué conclusión saco definitivamente.
7/10
7/10
ileniazodiaco's review against another edition
5.0
Lo giuro, non leggerò mai più un libro allo stesso modo. Si è squarciato il velo di Maya per me, come lettrice. Recuperare tutto dell'Autore.
Confusa e rapita.
Confusa e rapita.
ben_smitty's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first introduction to Girard, and I'm already a huge fan. I have to admit, some of the things he said went over my head, but the gist of his message has already changed the way I think about desire and envy.
Girard is famously known for coining "mimetic theory," which claims that all desire is triangular; it includes the subject, the object, and the mediator. For example, if you were the subject and your object of desire is to be rich, you would think that it's just a straight line from you to your desire (subject-object). Girard disagrees by saying that there is always a mediator, in this instance, a rich person, whom you want to imitate (subject-mediator-object). But the object of your desire is really just an illusion. You don't really want to be rich. You just want to become the person who is rich.
Now if the mediator is someone who is wayyy out of your league, you will be satisfied in following his footsteps towards becoming like him (ahem, Christ). But if your mediator is on the same level as you are, you will see him as a hindrance to your object of desire. Thus, envy is formed.
Since the rise of individualism, Romantics have been tricked into believing that desire comes from "inside of themselves," but this is faulty according to Girard because it hides the social nature of desire. He brings up Cervantes, Stendhal, Proust, and Dostoevsky as exemplars of "novelistic geniuses" because they understand the triangular nature of desire.
The book goes through asceticism, sadism and masochism, double triangular desire (where both sides imitate one another), and so much more! This is definitely a dense read, but I highly recommend it!
Girard is famously known for coining "mimetic theory," which claims that all desire is triangular; it includes the subject, the object, and the mediator. For example, if you were the subject and your object of desire is to be rich, you would think that it's just a straight line from you to your desire (subject-object). Girard disagrees by saying that there is always a mediator, in this instance, a rich person, whom you want to imitate (subject-mediator-object). But the object of your desire is really just an illusion. You don't really want to be rich. You just want to become the person who is rich.
Now if the mediator is someone who is wayyy out of your league, you will be satisfied in following his footsteps towards becoming like him (ahem, Christ). But if your mediator is on the same level as you are, you will see him as a hindrance to your object of desire. Thus, envy is formed.
Since the rise of individualism, Romantics have been tricked into believing that desire comes from "inside of themselves," but this is faulty according to Girard because it hides the social nature of desire. He brings up Cervantes, Stendhal, Proust, and Dostoevsky as exemplars of "novelistic geniuses" because they understand the triangular nature of desire.
The book goes through asceticism, sadism and masochism, double triangular desire (where both sides imitate one another), and so much more! This is definitely a dense read, but I highly recommend it!