Tragic novels, René Girard and the American dream: sacrifice in suburbia
"This book draws on the philosopher René Girard to argue that three twentieth-century American novels (Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides , Rick Moody's The Ice Storm , and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road ) are tragedies. Until now, Girardian literary analysis has general...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subito Delivery Service: | Order now. |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| WorldCat: | WorldCat |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
London [England]
Bloomscury Academic
2020
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| In: | Year: 2020 |
| Reviews: | [Rezension von: Osborn, Carly, Tragic novels, René Girard and the American dream : sacrifice in suburbia] (2021) (Reineke, Martha J., 1954 -)
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| Edition: | First edition |
| Series/Journal: | Violence, Desire, and the Sacred
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Girard, René 1923-2015
B Sacrifice (chess) (Religion) |
| Further subjects: | B
Yates, Richard Revolutionary road
B Eugenide, Jeffrey Virgin suicides B Western philosophy, from c 1900 - B Girard, René (1923-2015) B Tragedy History and criticism B Electronic books B Sacrifice B Moody, Rick Ice storm |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | "This book draws on the philosopher René Girard to argue that three twentieth-century American novels (Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides , Rick Moody's The Ice Storm , and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road ) are tragedies. Until now, Girardian literary analysis has generally focused on representations of human desire in texts, and neglected both other emotions and the place of tragedy. Carly Osborn addresses these omissions by using Girardian theory to present evidence that novels can indeed be tragedies. The book advances the scholarship of tragedy that has run from Aristotle to Nietzsche to Terry Eagleton, proposing a new way to read modern novels through ancient traditions. In addition, this is the first work to examine the place of women as victims, or in Girardian terms, 'scapegoats', in twentieth century fiction, specifically by considering the representation of women's bodies and ambivalence about their identities. In deploying a rich and vivid array of tragic tropes, The Virgin Suicides, The Ice Storm , and Revolutionary Road participate in a deep-rooted American tragic tradition. Tragic Novels, the American Dream and Ren ̌Girard will be of interest to those working at the intersection of philosophy and literature, as well as Girard specialists."-- 1. Introduction: Tragedy, Girard, and the American Dream -- 2. The American Dream: A Mythical History -- 3. Textual Prologues -- 4. The Virgin Suicides: Unravelling Fantasies -- 5. The Ice Storm: Excess and Irony -- 6. Revolutionary Road: Plays and Failures -- 7. Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index |
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| Item Description: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Physical Description: | 1 Online-Ressource (216 pages) |
| Format: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
| ISBN: | 1-350-08348-8 978-1-350-08351-6 978-1-350-08349-3 978-1-350-08348-6 |
| Access: | Abstract freely available; full-text restricted to individual document purchasers |
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5040/9781350083516 |
