In a fascinating analysis of critical themes in Feodor Dostoevsky's work, Ren Girard explores the implications of the Russian author's "underground," a site of isolation, alienation, and resentment. Brilliantly translated, this book is a testament to Girard's remarkable engagement with Dostoevsky's work, through which he discusses numerous aspects of the human condition, including desire, which Girard argues is "triangular" or "mimetic"--copied from models or mediators whose objects of desire become our own. Girard's interdisciplinary approach allows him to shed new light on religion, spirituality, and redemption in Dostoevsky's writing, culminating in a revelatory discussion of the author's spiritual understanding and personal integration. Resurrection is an essential and thought-provoking companion to Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground.

Author: René Girard
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: 01/01/2012
Series: Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture
Pages: 120
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781611860375


Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 173

About the Author

René Girard is a member of the French Academy, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, and the author of several books that have been translated widely. He is the recipient of the Modern Language Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (2008).