Deceit, Desire, and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure [Paperback]

René Girard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A major work of criticism, altogether original and full of the most remarkable and profound insights.

(Comparative Literature )

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (April 1, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801818303
• ISBN-13: 978-0801818301
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable book August 16, 2001

By opinioned

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Groucho Marx said "I wouldn't be a member of any club that would be stupid enough to have me". In DECEIT, DESIRE and THE NOVEL, Girard and his wonderful translator Yvonne Freccerro help us explore that dilemma of self-distaste, and the ever-receding goal of acceptance.

The book argues that the novel as a form is historically preoccupied with one particular dilemma: That when young, each of us believes that the OTHERS have some passport to community that we ourselves lack. The path through life (to maturity or to death) takes place through imitation of, and competition with, those persons who seem to have achieved what we wish ourselves to achieve. As part of this, we often chase after objects whose possession promises to "transform" us into someone else. Think of Swann and high society, Don Quixote and knighthood. If we tilt at windmills-- or seek achievements we don't value once we have them-- it may be because we thought these symbols will yield not merely themselves but also what they symbolize: Don Quixote hopes to become a knight, Swann hopes to become an aristocrat.

When the transformation doesn't happen-- when, for example, Groucho Marx becomes a member of the country club and discovers he's still as uncouth as he always was -- the possession disappoints. The victim then either matures, or sets off on another treasure hunt.

There has never been a work of literary criticism so revealing of the human psyche as DECEIT, DESIRE AND THE NOVEL. Girard's book focuses on envy, but in the process reveals a path to becoming genuine. If nothing else, this book will send you back to Proust, Cervantes and Stendhal greedy for text.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A superior work of literary criticism February 10, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Though Girard admits in an interview that when he wrote this book he was indulging in the dubious pleasure of debunking, it is still an excellent entree into the mimetic hypothesis. The book outlines the important theory of "triangular" or "mimetic" desire, which states that the notion of a desire original to the subject is a romantic lie, and that human beings borrow one another's desires. The book is also a monumental contribution to the study of the history of literature, showing that the evolution of society is tracked and analyzed by the great novelists, who alone in the Western world have understood the mimetic foundations of human interaction.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the rare books that can genuinely give a lightbulb moment November 1, 2009

By Matthew Parry

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This deservedly famous work of literary analysis argues that certain novelists have uncovered a type of desire which Girard calls "Mimetic Desire." Put simply, we all know of snobs, or fashion victims, who obviously only desire things because someone else does - The 'keeping up with the Jonses' type of person. We always assume that these people know that their desire comes from imitating others and therefore view them very cynically. Girard however, argues that the novelists he studies have all had two insights on snobs that, when taken together, are devastating to a belief in individualism.

The first insight is that snobs do not have insight into the source of their desires. They instead believe, and feel, that their desires arise from within themselves. They genuinely believe that the object is valuable in and of itself and not just because someone else has it. The shocking corollary of this discovery is that if it appears to snobs that their desires come from within themselves (Like my own) then how can I be sure that my own desires do not originate in the same way as theirs? The second insight - and devastating blow to individualism - is that we are not different to the snob and that almost all of our desires are imitations of other people's desire. That is, I desire it because I see someone else desiring it.

I used to be quite cynical of people who claim that a book "changed my life," but this book really has transformed my view of myself and others. Girard is a must read, and re-read, for everyone. But please don't be like certain liberal priests who use Girard like they used to use Freud - as a weapon to use on one's enemies. Girard's ideas are weapons to use on oneself.