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

When first published in 1965, Girard's Deceit, Desire, and the Novel drew considerable critical acclaim. In response to the growing contemporary interest in metaphysical problems and concern with structural analysis, it is now being made available in paperback. Through a close reading of five major novelists --Cervantes, Stendhal, Flaubert, Proust, and Dostoevsky-- Girard's attempts to define the essence of a certain type of novel which he calls the novel of mediated desire. His study extends beyond the scope of literature into the psychology of much of our contemporary scene, including fashion, advertising, and propaganda techniques. In considering such aspects in relation to his central theme, the author goes beyond the domain of pure aesthetics and offers an interpretation of some basic cultural problems of our time.