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A Study of Mimetic Desire in Five Contemporary British and American Novels

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A Study of Mimetic Desire in Five Contemporary British and American Novels View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto Narrated Selves and Others: A Study of Mimetic Desire in Five Contemporary British and American Novels Hanna Mäkelä Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in auditorium XV, on the 9th of May, 2014 at 12 o’clock. ISBN 978-952-10-9753-9 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-10-9754-6 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2014 3 Abstract My doctoral dissertation, “Narrated Selves and Others: A Study of Mimetic Desire in Five Contemporary British and American Novels,” explores the relationships between fictional characters as demonstrated by the self’s desire to imitate the being of another. The novels studied in the dissertation are The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) by Muriel Spark, Sula (1973) by Toni Morrison, The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt, Amsterdam (1998) by Ian McEwan, and What I Loved (2003) by Siri Hustvedt. In the thesis, I will deal with René Girard’s mimetic theory and develop it further in the literary realm, both through a close-reading of individual novels and through a partial synthesizing of Girard’s thought with some key concepts of current narrative theory, such as the implied author and narrative perspective structure. The key issue, however, is to determine the timeliness and continuing fecundity of Girard’s thought as a tool in analyzing contemporary English-language fiction, as opposed to the more established ‘classic’ works read by Girard himself. According to Girard’s thought, which combines literary studies with a broader base of cultural studies and philosophical anthropology, imitation, or ‘mimesis,’ is characteristic of all humans, but because of its tendency to become rivalrous, it leads to conflict, both between individuals and in society at large. Girard furthermore thinks that archaic religion was founded on the surrogate victim mechanism the goal of which was to salvage the community from ever-spreading conflict and strife by channelling violence into a scapegoat. However, with the advent of Judaism and Christianity, history became aware of the essential innocence of the victim and destroyed the credibility of the scapegoat mechanism, rendering the current social and cultural context more vulnerable to reciprocal violence, with an apocalyptic choice between renouncing violence and succumbing to it looming at the historical crossroads. One purpose of this study is to make Girard’s thought as a whole more appealing to the mainstream of literary studies and fortify the appeal of literature as a privileged medium of knowledge with regard to mimetic theory, without undermining its deliberately inter- disciplinarian focus. Although explicit ‘conversions’ of characters signalling the end of idolatry of other characters are less common than in Girard’s nineteenth-century and older examples, the implied author still recommends the possibility of this conversion in those cases where it fails to take place on the level of story or narration. 4 Acknowledgements When the subject of a study is mimetic desire, namely a desire to imitate what others desire, the author of that study should take care to own up to that desire in herself. Giving credit where credit is due becomes all the more pressing, since the self often takes great pains to hide her imitation, not only from others, but also from herself. By acknowledging those others who helped me conduct my research and write the dissertation at hand I am therefore putting my money where my mouth is. However, on this particular occasion at least, admitting to having been influenced by others is easy, as during the time it took to finish this book I have been the happy recipient of only the good things that ‘interdividual psychology’ entails: guidance, support and inspiration. First of all, I would like to thank my supervisors. Professor Dr. Heta Pyrhönen from the University of Helsinki has been the most invaluable contributor to my research project, both in matters theoretical (by introducing me to the idea of employing Girard’s thought in the first place) and practical (offering guidance in academic networking and seeking research funding). Not only was Professor Pyrhönen’s support for my work kind and enthusiastic throughout, but also her own passion for Anglophone literary fiction proved highly contagious. A heart-felt debt of gratitude also goes to my second supervisor, Professor Dr. Ansgar Nünning from Justus Liebig University Giessen. Professor Nünning’s vast knowledge of narrative theory was articulated with a kindness and generosity to match. As a Doktorvater, his encouraging and insightful feedback was essential for my research. As a Finnish member of the European PhD-Network “Literary and Cultural Studies,” a doctoral programme that grants bi-national PhD degrees, I was fortunate to spend time at my partner university, Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany, as well as make shorter visits to the other member universities in Italy, Portugal and Sweden. In addition to the network director Professor Nünning, I was privileged to benefit from dedicated, friendly and always constructive criticism from four other professors steering the PhDnet’s course from 2008 until 2010: Professor Dr. Isabel Capeloa Gil from the Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon, Professor Dr. Angela Locatelli from the University of Bergamo, Professor Dr. Pirjo Lyytikäinen from my own alma mater, the University of Helsinki, who was also the director of the Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies, and Professor Dr. Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre from Stockholm University. 5 A particularly warm debt of gratitude is due to my fellow PhD candidates in the network: Lieven Ameel, Elisa Antz, Teresa Ferreira, Diana Gonçalves, Linda Karlsson Hammarfelt, Sabrina Kusche, Kerstin Lundström, Vincenzo Martella, Eleonora Ravizza, Anna Rettberg and Robert Vogt. As ideal as it sounds, there was absolutely no ‘mimetic rivalry’ between any of us peers, but a spirit of mutual solidarity that ripened into deep friendships. Also, I want to thank the network co-ordinator Dr. Kai Marcel Sicks whose professional expertise coupled with a wonderful sense of humor was an integral part of the overall success of the PhDnet experience. My research stay in Germany and various conference trips abroad would not have been possible without the proper finances. I thank the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademische Austausch Dienst, or “DAAD”) for awarding me a research grant for PhD students and junior scholars for January 2010. For the remainder of that same year I was able to continue working full-time on my dissertation, and for securing that productive period I owe a debt of gratitude to the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters for a grant from their Eino Jutikkala Fund. I am also indebted to the University of Helsinki for awarding me the Chancellor's travel grant in 2009 for a conference trip, as well as two short-term stipends from the Department of Comparative Literature in 2007 and 2008, respectively. After my funding period, I was fortunate to join the Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies and to be employed as a researcher and teacher at the University of Helsinki Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies for the period of 2011-2013. During this time I benefited greatly from the joint sessions in the programme. I was furthermore lucky to be given the opportunity to teach undergraduates in my department. I subsequently learned even more about my field of expertise through their perspective. As a ‘fan’ of Girard’s thought, I found it thrilling to meet others who were equally enthusiastic about exploring and at times criticizing mimetic theory. I am grateful for the annual conferences organized by the Colloquium On Violence & Religion, or “COV&R,” for allowing me to do just that while presenting my own papers and listening to those by others. I also wish to thank “Imitatio” and the Dutch Girard Society for their insightful and fun Summer School on mimetic theory in Leusden, The Netherlands in July 2012. Moreover, I want to express my gratitude to those readers who have advised me on the work in progress. Professor Dr. Suzanne Keen from Washington and Lee University and Professor Dr. Linda Hutcheon from the University of Toronto read excerpts of my manuscript and suggested valuable improvements. 6 As the officially appointed examiners of the penultimate version of the dissertation, Professor Dr. Robert Doran from the University of Rochester and Professor Dr. William A. Johnsen from Michigan State University, have made an invaluable contribution to the finished work. Last but not least, I want to thank those people who, despite being outsiders to my chosen academic field, have nevertheless been of enormous help in the completion of this study. My godmother Dr. Riitta Kivikari, a fairy godmother par excellence, tirelessly and cheerfully devoted her time and effort in all matters concerning computers, software and hardware alike, with a special emphasis on the finer points of word-processing technology. My deepest and warmest thanks go to my family. My father Dr. Matti Mäkelä and my mother Sinikka Mäkelä have always been there for me, showering me with love and inspiring me through example. The value of their emotional, intellectual and material support over the years is beyond words. It is to them and to my favourite big sister Laura that I dedicate this work. 7
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