Aristotle's Concept of Imitation

353 Words2 Pages
Aristotle gave new dimension and significance to the term imitation, which removed the sense of inferiority attached to it by Plato. According to Aristotle, poetry is one of the fine arts. Art imitates not merely the appearances or the externals of this world. Art deals with the very essence of things. There is a creative reproduction of the external world in accordance with the artist’s idea. Poetry is therefore not an imitation of shadow but it is the imitation of the ideal reality. Moreover, poetry deals with universal and the ideal. The significance of the truth is that it is universal, essential and permanent. Imitation is not mere slavish copying. It is not mere representation of the outward appearance. This imitation is of the deeper reality. Aristotle says that poetry imitates men in action. ‘Men in action’ includes their thoughts, feelings, will, motives and emotions. Poetry is an imitation of human life. Action involves both the inward life and the outward events. So poetic imitation involves outward as well s inward activity, rather it is the inner world of man, which is the main object of imitation in poetry. Aristotle’s concept of imitation is not of mere copying but an act of creative vision. Through imitation, the poet can make something new out of the real and actual. Atkins says that for all practical purposes Aristotle considered imitation to be nothing else but recreation. So imitation in its true spirit is a process of imagination. Poetic truth is permanent and universal in nature. Out of the confused and chaotic everyday life, the poet tricks to create a work of art, which has a permanent relevance. It is not a function of the poet to relate what has happened but what is possible according to law of probability or necessity. Poetry is concerned with universal not with particular. Artistic imitation: A process of ordering and arranging. In
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