SACRED VIOLENCE IN SHIRLEY JACKSON’S THE LOTTERY
SACRED VIOLENCE IN SHIRLEY JACKSON’S THE LOTTERY
Author(s): Ted BaileySubject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Editura Universităţii de Vest din Timişoara / Diacritic Timisoara
Keywords: René Girard; Shirley Jackson; scapegoating; violence;
Summary/Abstract: The jarring juxtapostion of a biblical stoning in a mid-20th century North American village in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” has baffled readers and led critics to numerous interpretations of the short story. This paper will briefly survey the range of criticism before applying René Girard’s (1966) theory on violence, religion, and scapegoating to this tale of ritualized communal murder.
Journal: B.A.S. British and American Studies
- Issue Year: 2014
- Issue No: 20
- Page Range: 37-42
- Page Count: 6
- Language: English
