Mary Worth & French Post-Modernism: 09/04/21

 A new series at The Adventures of Captain Peabody:

"The rhythm of the action is faster and more abrupt; it is reflected in the tragic dialogue or stichomythia, that is, in the exchange of insults and accusations that corresponds to the exchange of blows between warriors locked in single combat.

[...]

Whether the violence is physical or verbal, an interval of time passes between each blow. And each blow is delivered in the hope that it will bring the duel or dialogue to an end, constitute the coup de grace or final word.

The recipient of the blow is thrown momentarily off balance and needs time to pull himself together, to prepare a suitable reply. During this interval his adversary may well believe that the decisive blow has indeed been struck. Victory--or rather, the act of violence that permits no response--thus oscillates between the combatants, without either managing to lay final claim to it.

Only an act of collective expulsion can bring this oscillation to a halt and cast violence outside the community."

-René Girard, Violence and the Sacred