Клаус Р. Шерпе

The author sets out his own typology of communing with the Other, derived from some current theories in the humantities and the disputes they give rise to. It is based on the concept of mimesis, emancipated from the requirement for verisimilitude. Four variants are delineated of the mimetic stance in communing with the Other, viz., sensualistic, dialogic, technological and catastrophic. They are illustrated with examples from literature and anthropological research; their time sequence is also inquired into.