Girard was awarded the Prix de l'Académie française for "Violence and the Sacred", which is considered his major work. It became a highly influential book in anthropology, literary criticism, and even Christology. "Violence and the Sacred" received positive reviews from G. H. de Radkowski in "Le Monde", the critic Victor Brombert in "The Chronicle of Higher Education", Frank McConnell in "The New Republic", and Vincent Farenga in "Comparative Literature". The book received mixed reviews from Homer Obred Brown in "Modern Language Notes", Winifred Lambrecht in "Library Journal", John E. Rexine in "The Modern Language Journal", and James A. Aho in "SA: Sociological Analysis".