How we are motivated to imitate wanting what others desire—Girard’s theory primed for the
social media age.A Penguin Classic René Girard eludes easy categories bridging the fields of
literary criticism anthropology sociology history religion and theology. Influencing such
writers as J. M. Coetzee and Milan Kundera his insight into contagious violence looks ever
more prophetic and relevant seven years after his death. In many ways he is the thinker for our
modern world of social media and herd behavior. In this newly selected collection of writings
Cynthia L. Haven has created an approachable anthology of his work addressing Girard's
thoughts on the nature of desire human imitation and rivalry the causes of conflict and
violence the deep structure of religion and cultural subjects like opera and theatre. Girard
spoke in language that was engaging accessible and often controversial. A long-time friend and
colleague Haven shines a spotlight on his role as a public intellectual and profound theorist
inviting a new generation to his corpus.
