RT Article
T1 Beyond Reciprocal Violence—René Girard and Siegfried Sassoon
JF Practical theology
VO 1
IS 1
SP 65
OP 83
A1 Harrison, Charles Hampton 1932-
LA English
YR 2008
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/189849178X
AB The theme of imminent apocalypse in Girard's new book Achever Clausewitz is used to locate the origin of the threats to contemporary society in the 1914-18 War. A study of Sassoon is offered as a model of "the intelligence of the victim." Girard's thesis of the mimetic origins of violence is explained and applied to the decades before 1914. Girard's concept of interdividual psychology is explored and illustrated by Sassoon's early development, focusing in particular on his malleability, narcissism and homosexuality. The nature of reciprocal violence in trench warfare is described. Sassoon's diaries and memoirs are used to illustrate the evolution of his Girardian awareness, culminating in his statement of May 1917, criticizing the British war aims. The conclusion notes the connection between Sassoon and Dom Sebastian Moore, whose thought has since converged with Girard's.
K1 Apocalypse
K1 interdividual
K1 mimetic desire
K1 Reciprocity
K1 Violence
DO 10.1558/prth.v1i1.65