the twin odysseys of René girard and bob dylan
Essay, Criticism. Appx 20k words.
René Girard, the French theorist known for his sprawling mimetic theory, and Bob Dylan, the American troubadour, were exact contemporaries until Girard's death in 2015. In different disciplines, they made a series of uncannily similar discoveries, as if they were sailing the same vast seas, skipping over each other's wakes.
This essay, approximately 13k words followed by an appendix, charts the twin explorers' discoveries of mimetic desire, sacred violence, Christianity as an archaic sacrificial culture and as the myth that reads all myth, and the prospects and meaning of Revelation.
Major works discussed include Deceit, Desire, and the Novel; Violence and the Sacred; Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World; The Scapegoat; Evolution of Desire; Another Side of Bob Dylan; Blonde on Blonde; John Wesley Harding; Street-Legal; Slow Train Coming; Love and Theft; and Rough and Rowdy Ways.
A condensed version of this essay was presented at the Novitate Conference in celebration of Girard's 100th birthday in Washington, D.C., November 2023.
Read or download the essay below.
Playlist including most of the songs discussed: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1YzMHLgeryiJeBLQxWrg3w?si=9442fe88545b417a
