Vengeance in reverse : the tangled loops of violence, myth, and madness / Mark R. Anspach.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anspach, Mark Rogin, 1959- author.

Series:

Studies in violence, mimesis, and culture.

Studies in violence, mimesis, and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Revenge--Philosophy.

Revenge.

Reciprocity (Psychology).

Psychoses.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (134 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

East Lansing : Michigan State University Press, [2017]

Summary:

How do humans stop fighting? Where do the gods of myth come from? What does it mean to go mad? Mark R. Anspach tackles these and other conundrums as he draws on ethnography, literature, psychotherapy, and the theory of René Girard to explore some of the fundamental mechanisms of human interaction. Likening gift exchange to vengeance in reverse, the first part of the book outlines a fresh approach to reciprocity, while the second part traces the emergence of transcendence in collective myths and individual delusions. From the peacemaking rituals of prestate societies to the paradoxical structure of consciousness, Anspach takes the reader on an intellectual journey that begins with the problem of how to deceive violence and ends with the riddle of how one can deceive oneself.

Contents:

Beginning with the return: vengeance in reverse

Violence deceived

Trying to stop the Trojan War

Return to the beginning: the making of a meta-god

Madness in the making, or unanimity minus one

No exit? Madness and the divided self.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62895-290-3

1-60917-520-4

OCLC:

983670759