Discuss Aristotle’s view of literature as imitation.
Solution
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is often regarded as one of the most important individuals in the development of critical thinking on literature. Aristotle detailed his thoughts on writing as imitation in the work that bears his name, “Poetics.” According to Aristotle, literature is an imitation of life, and the objective of literature is to copy reality in order to better comprehend it. In other words, the imitation of life is the purpose of literature.
Aristotle held the view that writing is a sort of mimesis, which literally means “an imitation of what is around us.” He was of the opinion that the act of imitating characters and situations in works of literature may assist us in comprehending and appreciating the intricacies of real life. Literature, in this sense, was seen by Aristotle as a tool to gather information about the universe and about the nature of humans.
According to Aristotle, literature should be an imitation of life, but it should do so in a way that is both accurate to the world and enjoyable to read. He was of the opinion that the fundamentals of probability and necessity should serve as the basis for literary composition. The concept of probability relates to the concept that the events depicted in a piece of writing should be plausible and compatible with what we know about the world. The term “necessity” relates to the concept that the events that take place in a piece of writing should be essential for the progression of the plot.
According to Aristotle, the purpose of writing is to replicate reality in a manner that is not only faithful to the subject matter but also gratifies the sensibilities of the audience. He was of the opinion that the fundamentals of probability and necessity should serve as the basis for literary composition. The concept of probability relates to the idea that the events depicted in a piece of writing need to be plausible and consistent with what we know about the reality. The term “necessity” relates to the concept that the events that take place in a piece of writing should be essential for the progression of the plot.
Aristotle also held the belief that there should be just two primary classifications for works of literature: tragedy and comedy. According to Aristotle, tragedy is a severe type of writing that depicts the suffering and fall from grace of a great person. On the other hand, comedy is a lighter type of literature that depicts the follies and blunders that regular people make in their daily lives.
Aristotle considered tragedy to be the pinnacle of literary achievement due to his belief that it accurately portrayed the most tragic and significant aspects of real life. He was of the opinion that tragedy causes an audience to experience emotions such as terror and sympathy, which ultimately results in a cathartic release of these sentiments. In this sense, tragedy offers an audience the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of, and make peace with, the more negative parts of human nature and the world around them.
Aristotle, on the other hand, was of the opinion that humour performs a less significant function. He considered the audience laughing and being entertained as the primary goals of stand-up comedy for him. According to Aristotle, comedy shouldn’t be taken too seriously, and it shouldn’t be used to duplicate significant events or to elicit powerful emotions in the audience. Neither of these things should be done in comedic performances.
The ideas that Aristotle had about literature being imitation have had a considerable influence on the theory and criticism of literature. His emphasis on the importance of imitation in literature, as well as his belief that literature should be based on the principles of probability and necessity, have influenced the way that literature has been evaluated and studied for centuries. He also believed that literature should be based on the principles of probability and necessity.
However, it is important to note that Aristotle’s ideas on writing as imitation are not without their detractors, and these objections should be taken into consideration. Some people feel that his views are very restricted and that he does not take into consideration the myriad of ways in which thoughts and feelings may be communicated via writing. Others contend that his emphasis on the significance of imitation in literature is too narrow, and that literature may serve many other goals besides imitation. They say this to say that his emphasis on the value of imitation in literature is too narrow.
In conclusion, Aristotle’s idea of literature as imitation is a significant and influential viewpoint on literature that has been passed down through the ages. He held the view that literature should be founded on the principles of probability and necessity in order to serve its purpose of providing an imitation of reality for the purpose of gaining a deeper comprehension of the real world. His viewpoints, despite the fact that they have been attacked for being too constrictive and limited, continue to be an essential part of literary theory and criticism.