MIMESIS
Mimesis is a critical term came from the Greek word mimos mean ‘to imitate’ .The word carries a
variety of meaning in diverse realm which include imitation, representation, mimicry,imitatio,receptivity,theatricality,verisimilitude,doubling,
correspondence, nonsensuous similarity, the act of resembling, the act of
expression and the presentation of the self .Mimesis has a great significance
in the realm of criticism .The word depicts the relation between art and life .
Mimesis is a theory of art, so at the early age it is associated with idea of
artistic representation.
The
idea of mimesis has been put forward by a number of thinkers, not only the ancient
critics but the renaissance and modern also .The idea of mimesis is put forward
by Plato in relation with his view about art especially with poetry. Plato believed mimesis is an obstacle to
philosophical knowledge not a distinct means of knowing the world and other. Plato
argued that idea is the original ,the things we see in nature is the copy of
original and the art which is a copy of nature or an imitation of natural
things .Plato used mimesis in the sense
of imitation .Aristotle, disciple of Plato also treat mimesis in the sense of
imitation but it has a slight difference from Plato’s view .Aristotle in his
treaty ‘Poetics’ define poetry as an imitation of action, that means the human
action. By ‘imitation’ he means ‘representation’. Imitation was a central theme
in discussing the nature of poetry of both seventeenth and eighteenth century
.Aristotle also defines mimesis as the perfection and imitation of nature
.Aristotle express his views on imitation in his treaty entitled as ‘Poetics’.
He argued that poetry is not only an imitation of nature but also a creative of
an artist that means the poet. Aristotle define tragedy is an imitation of
action, not only an imitation but it can purify the emotions of its spectators.
Both Plato and his disciple Aristotle contrasts mimesis with diegesis.
Greek
author Dionysius creates an influential literary method of imitation known as Dionysian imatatio in the 1st
century BCE. This method portrays imitation as a technique of rhetoric
–imitating, adjusting, reworking and enriching a source text by an author. His
view on mimesis is significantly differing from Aristotle’s views on mimesis.
Dionysius gives emphasis on imitation of authors in contrary to Aristotle’s focus
on imitation of natureImagery and
involvement of the theatre consist of another essential element in the theory
of mimesis. Theatre is not identical with mimesis .But theatre and
theatricality is central to the theory
of mimesis, because since ancient times it is impossible to separate the two ideas.
Theatrical mimesis aroused from a particular kind of action and awareness, from
the liability of actor and audience rather than being of the spectacle.
Augustine tries to define theatrical –mimesis in terms of the interaction of spectator and
spectacle. Theatrical mimesis depends
on social convention while imitatio
depends on conscious use of convention.
Realism
give emphasize to reproduce the world as it is, rather than that mimesis
matches our conventional ways of knowing the world. Realism occurs in the interaction of work and
witness and not of work and world .This notion of realism is known as verisimilitude. The term was coined at
the age of Renaissance. Verisimilitude defines the work as true to life rather than the
replica of life. Artistic realism is not only the most familiar, but one of the
most controversial elements in the thematic complex of mimesis. Plato concern
the weird power of art to mirror the material world, that the realistic artists
intents. Plato also critcizes mimesis to its inability to go beyond this
mirroring, it appeals only to the wits not to reason, that is the most
important criteria of realism-the accurate reproduction of material reality.Matthew
Potolsky in his work Mimesis suggests
“mimesis has always been at once a theory of art and an explicit or implicit
theory of human nature.”
“With
the emergence in the early nineteenth century of an expressive criticism, imitation tended to be displaced from its
central position in literary theory” (Abraham p172).
Modern
theorist such as Lacan, Derrida & Freud observe mimesis in a different way
from its ancient theorist. Matthew
Potolsky in his work Mimesis states that many of the social theorists of
nineteenth century define imitation as a foundational human behavior.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche, philosophers of
nineteenth century believed that our lives are
governed
by conventional imitations that pass for facts of nature. “The theory of mimesis in
twentieth century implies that what look like
autonomous actions and choices are really forms of
imitation” (Potolsky, p .117).
Gabriel Tarde, an important psychological theorist
of mimesis in late nineteenth century defines
mimesis in his book entitled ‘The Laws of Imitation’ that imitation as a
fundamental life force
,one of the three great forms of ‘universal
repetition’ that organize psychological, biological and
social life .
French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan introduce the
term ‘mirror stage’ to elaborate the concept of
‘identification’ ,introduced by Freud .Freud regards
identification as an emotional tie between
two people where as Lacan treats it as a mimetic
relationship between still undeveloped ego and
its mirror stage .Before the child identifies with
its parents, it identifies with an image of
itself
.This is what he called ‘mirror stage’ ,a primordial
identification .
.
CLASSIC
VIEW ON MIMESIS
Mimesis
is an inevitable term in the theories of Criticism, so there are number of
theories put forward on mimesis. Even though mimesis is a fifth century term
,it had got a fine position since the time of Plato . Plato was the first , who
put forward the theory of art in general terms . He had strong influence on
Socrates, Plato’steacher . He used
dialogue as a format to convey his view in his treaty Republic . Plato begins his view on poetry in Book three. There is no place for emotion in his ideal
world . Plato put across his view on imitation in his treaty entitled as ‘Republic’
written around 380 BCE . His allegory of cave
can be considered as an introduction to his idea of mimesis and blame
against poet . Plato believe what
artisan make is the imitation of
ideal form . The prisoner sees the
statue’s shadow and believed that it is real .The prisoners they never saw actual reality, so they believed that the
image they sees are the real one. Prisoner, who come outside the cave sees the
actual reality ,the actual truth He never comments on the existing notion of
mimesis, he only redefine art as an essentially mimetic or imitation of nature
.Plato express his view on imitation with his view on poetry . His comments on
poetry is found in his two treaties –Ion and
Republic .His Republic had inspired
several defenses of poetry like Sidney’s defense on poetry . There was an ancient quarrel between
philosophy and poetry ,which Plato revealed in his premise of Republic . Plato
through his work Republic approaches mimesis in two contexts, first inBook two
and three and then in ten .The earlier notion of mimesis is associated with the
art but Platolinked it with human nature
and political life .Mimesis is a luxury not an essential one .So, Plato
separate mimesis from rational and essential, instead he equate it with
pleasure and passion rather than reason and truth. Plato starts to discuss about artistic
imitation in the second book of his work, Republic . In book two of Republic Socrates, master of
Plato expresses that there is a relation
between artistic imitation and behavioral imitation .That means artistic
imitation produce behavioral imitation .When we telling a story, an artistic
imitation to younger generations there is a lot of possibilities to imitate the
bad or good action represented in story to the younger generation . Socrates
argued that “mimesis is not serious; it is mere play rather than true
knowledge. Artists such as Homer ‘don’t lay hold of the truth’ but only mime
the appearance of wisdom” (Plato,1991: 283).
Plato’s
discussion on art is revealed in the book ten of his ‘Republic’. Plato believed that idea is the original and
what we sense is only a copy of the original idea. This is known as ‘doctrine of ideas’ .Plato assumed
that art is an imitation or a copy of an idea. So art twice removed from reality.
Plato explain his doctrine of idea by using an image of a bed .He states that
actual bed is the one made by the god .A carpenter, who create a bed is only a
copy of gods actual bed .Then a poet create
a bed ,
such bed is a copy of the bed made by the carpenter . That is poet’s bed
is twice removed from the actual bed made by the god .It shows that art is
twice removed from reality . Jean-Pierre Vernent, French classical scholar
explains that Plato’s concept of mimesis find a new hope in the history of
Greek’s view on art. In Book ten of his Republic Plato banishes poet from his
ideal state due tonature of art, far removed from reality. Plato needs all arts
to be directed by moral values.Imitative art does not possess this moral value
but has a corrupting influence on man. He stood against artistic imitation
because that deviates from the realm of reason .Plato condemn the poetic
imitation because it “fed and watered
the passion instead of drying them up ,and let them rule instead of ruling them
as they ought to be ruled ,with a view to the happiness and virtue of mankind”
(37) .Plato support the narrative form than imitative because he believed that the later one
directly represents evil .In Book 5 of
Republic ,he favors the art that contribute in the spiritual growth of
people .Imitative art which has a role
in the spiritual growth of a people ,has
a key site in his view . Not the pleasure but truth is an end of such
imitation. Both the term ‘mimesis and ‘diegesis’ were first appeared in Plato’s
Republic .Diegesis means narration .Plato favours digesis than mimesis.Aristotle, most
celebrated disciple of Plato put a view on mimesis in his celebrated treatise
entitled as Poetics written in between
360 and 320 BCE .Aristotle challenges Plato’s claim about the nature and effect
of mimesis. But both have a common view that art is an imitation. Aristotle in
his treaty argued that all the various forms of music and poetry are imitations
and he also divided the imitations in three ways : in the means used , in the
kinds of object used in it and in the mode of representation .Aristotle regard
as the essential characteristic of poet is an imitation ,which he expressed in
his book one of Poetics . In contrast to Plato’s view on poet as a divinely possessed and standing distant from
his fellow creature of human and he creating an irrational emotions ,Aristotle
argued that poet is rationally
developing basic quality and he share it with other fellows .That is he is an
integral part of human society . Aristotle argued that imitation of men
involved in action is the one common to all arts ,that is the object of
artistic imitation which differ artistic imitation from others . He added that the actions imitated must be
either a noble or base one. The noble one we seen in tragedy and the base in
epic also . But Plato believed that art must produce noble one only otherwise
it destruct people’s morality . Aristotle provide two manners for presentation
of an art – one is a narration ,here poet speak either in his own person or through speech
and the second one dramatic presentation, in which story is acted as in drama
.In later part of Poetics, Aristotle
distinguish poetry and history .He argue that poetry yields general truth
whereas history produce a particular facts only .Poetry is serious and more
philosophical than history ,because the first one express what is universal and
the other concern with individuals .In his Poetics
Aristotle define poetry in two way –one lay emphasis on probability and
universality and the other is a wide-ranging one pleasing to morality and
convention .Unlike Plato, who consider imitation as a mirror of something else
and it mislead human, Aristotle consider it as a creativeness of an artist’s or
poet’s .Aristotle broadened the concept of poetic imitation that poet must
imitate one of the three – the things
were ,the things that we think or say and the thing which ought to be .
Aristotle believed that poetic imitation can appeal the conventions , it can
appeal men’s opinion . For example if a
poet may not represent the gods truthfully he can present them in accordance
with the prevailing myth and view about the god . Differ from Plato’s metaphor
,which highlight artificiality Aristotle’s metaphors for poetry emphasize
the naturalness of mimesis .That is his metaphors show similarity to natural
objects .For example in his Poetics he compare the unity of plot to that of a
body .Another important idea Aristotle
deals in his Poetics is tragedy
.Aristotle define tragedy is “ an imitation of action that is serious,
complete and of a certain magnitude –by means of language enriched with all
kinds of ornament ,each used separately in the different parts of the play : it
represents men in action and does not use narrative, and through pity and fear
it effects relief to these and similar emotions” (Poetics,vi.2-3) .By
action, Aristotle does not mean a particular action but a way of action done by
the protagonist and what happen to him .Aristotle
consider that a tragedy must have six essential elements ,that are spectacle,
song, diction, plot ,characters and reasoning .Plot is the primary element of
tragedy not a character .Then he deals
with three unities of a tragedy. That is unity of action, unity of time and
unity of place. A tragedy is not only an imitation of action but a combination
of the three elements also .Aristotle argued that tragedy is an imitation of
whole or complete action ,by this he mean the action must has a beginning
,middle and an end .
RECREATION
OF HOMER
The greatest Roman poet and critic
of Augustus age, Horace wrote a work in
literary criticism entitled as Ars
Poetica or Art of Poetry .It is a
kind of guide to the literary work of art . The work has a threefold structure - content
of poetry, mode of poetry and an argument about a poet .Differ from Aristotle
,Horace is more practical .He always quote example from Greek poet’s . Because
he believed that they follow the true
poetic model . Horace considers that poetic decorum is the primary one and it
is also a mean to judge all works. He
regards verisimilitude as a poetic norm .Horace opt medias res as the mode of narration. The
Odyssey is a classical work written by Horace, in which he use the medias
res as the mode of narration. Then he explains
about the poetic form . Horace argued that excessive violent incidents
does not present in it because it effects the people morally . For Horace poets are born as well as made .By imitation
he means to emulating and following the
way of great models.The ultimate aim for poetry Horace believed is to instruct
and afford pleasure . His concept of
imitation means recreation not as a copying . Renaissance critic such as
Sidney depends on Horace to interpret Aristotle .Ben Jonson was a translator of
Horace’s Ars Poetica .
IMITATION
AS AN INFLUENCE
On
the Sublime is a critical document written by
Longinus , a Greek philosopher. Here he
defines what sublimity is and how it can achieve. The work written in
epistolary form in 100 CE . It was a response on monograph on sublimity of Caecilius ,a Greek philosopher. Sublimity on literature means
the elevated and lofty style of writing . That means it is beyond ordinary ordinary writing .
Longinus define sublimity as the“source
of the distinction of the very greatest poet and prose writers the means by which they have given life to their
own fame” . Later Longinus explain
the way to attain this sublimity .Natural genius, imitation and imagination are
the three sources of sublimity. One of
the way Longinus reveal to attain sublimity is the way of imitation of great
poet and historian of the past . Plato who initiate this way in his treaty , he
capture from Homer .He regard that as
the priestess of Apollo is inspired by
the god’s divine power the poet can also inspired by innate genius of old
writers . Longinus believed that borrowing from other writers as Plato borrow
from Homer is not a theft but as gain an impression from fine character . In an essay Tradition and Individual Talent , Eliot considers knowing the past
writers will make an influence on a writer’s writings , that leads his work
beyond an ordinary that means sublimity .
MIMESIS:
A NEW CREATION
Sir Philip Sidney in his celebrated
work Apologie
for Poetrie expressed his views on
poetry .He agreed with Aristotle’s view that poetry is an imitation . By imitation
he does not means mere a copy of nature . Sidney believed that major function
of poetry as an imitation is to teach and delight .By imitation he does not
mean mere a copy of nature or facts but
representing real and sometime creating something entirely new . Then he widen
his view on imitation by adopting basics from both Aristotle and Horace .Sidney
says that poetry “is an art of imitation
,for so Aristotle termeth it in his word ‘mimesis’ ,that is to say ,a
representing ,counterfeiting ,or figuring forth: to speak metaphorically, a
speaking picture : with this end ,to teach and delight” (223) .Sidney explain
three kinds of poetic imitation in his treaty . First consists of poetry, as in
the poetic portion of the Old Testaments the poetry ‘imitate the inconceivable
excellencies of God’ ,that is a religious poetry. The second kind of imitation
found in a poetry, the scope of the subject in such poetry are philosophical,
historical or scientific-a philosophical poetry .Third kind of imitation , that
make poetry free from the Aristotelian constrains . That is poetry as an
imaginative treatment of life and nature .
MIMESIS
IN AESTHETICISM
Oscar wild an Irish writer and poet
viewed art does not copy life and nature but constitute its own world of
reality .Art became independent not a copy of nature or real world, but a
creative power of humanity .He is a proponent of aestheticism that give
emphasis to art for art’s sake . For aestheticians art is only for enjoyment
not a mirroring or representation .Wild and Baudelaire ,anti realists argued that true aim of art is beauty not the
reproduction of world or reality . Wild argued that art never bound to
reproduce the world as it is, instead it
wants a power to transform and improve
the world ,it distinguish art from life .
VERISIMILITUDE
IN REALISM
Realism
is a notion which focus on the portraying of world as we sense it is .Realist
consider art as a medium to show the world
as it is .Plato concern the mysterious power of art to world and he also
criticizes mimesis to this kind of mirroring , because he believed mirroring
appeal not for reason but for senses only .Accurate reproduction of material
reality is the major criteria of realism which we can see in arts like
photography and perspectival painting. These arts represent the material world
to its viewers. Plato’s reflection theory on realism means realism is the
reflection of the material world as it is .But Aristotle consider the realism
of work is intellectual than material .So he give emphasis to organizing plot
according to necessity and probability, the convention .This is known as Aristotle’s theory of
convention on realism . Mimesis laid on the conventional ways of knowing the
world rather than reproducing the world , like atrical mimesis the realism
occur in the interaction of work and spectator. That means a work is true to
life than the replica of life .This realistic idea is known as verisimilitude. Film,
one of the contemporary medium to portrays realism. Here camera is a mirror to
reflects the world and convention is also used in it to signal the truthfulness
of the work .Realist consider that literature as mirror of nature in addition
to it realists redefine mirror as metaphor for the truthfulness of their work .
George Lucas and Erich Auerbach believe
realism offer most truthfull picture of the world as it is by using the conventional method proposed by Aristotle
.
IMITATION
AS A HUMAN NATURE
Human
beings are the most advanced organism in the world .They are trying to adapt
with the world around them .When an infant was born, he had no knowledge about
the world around him. Slowly he starts to observe things and tries to identify
them. He starts to observe his parents especially their behavior then he starts
to imitate them. A child responds to the world by imitating their parents .At
the early stage child does not acquisite language. Lacan, the French Freud call
this stage an ‘imaginary’ and the stage after the acquisition of language is
called as symbolic . Lacan argued that there is a stage called mirror
stage in between these two. In this
stage child starts to imitate his parents .Child starts to speak by imitating
his parent’s sounds and gestures .He imitate the habits of their parents also .
At this stage the infant learn to identify with his image in a mirror and
begins to develop a sense of a separate self and an understanding of oneself .
Lacan developed his idea of mirror stage from the concept of ‘identification’
put forward by Sigmund Freud ,Viennese psychologist .Both Lacan and Freud
consider mimesis as a primary aspect of human life . Both memory and habit
are forms of imitation also ,first one
recall the psychic image and the next one repeat the action .Imitation begins
in family .Freud believed that our deliberate action and procedures are
directed by our unconscious desires and memories . Freud has influenced by
Aristotle, his therapeutic method is known as cathartic method because it can
purify the painful memories of patients through hypnosis. Freud concern the
theory of mimesis through his notion of identification. By notion of
identification, Freud means the self arises from an unconscious imitation of
others. Identification is the key concept of psychoanalysis .Freud define
identification as “the earliest
expression of an emotional tie with another person” (1953-74:xviii, 105 ) .Identification
is an unconscious activity .So it differ from consciously bounded activities
such as empathy, influence and it also made identity .
Gabriel
Trade , a French psychologist and he had
an influence on ideas of Freud .Trade
define mimesis in his work ‘The Laws of Imitation’ as a “fundamental life
force, one of the three greatest forms of universal repetition that organize physical ,biological and social
life : imitation played a role in societies analogous that of heredity in
organic life or to that of vibration
among inorganic bodies” (Trade, 1962: 11) .
MODERN
FACE OF MIMESIS
Differ
from Aristotelian classic view on mimesis twentieth century theoristssuch as
Jacques Derrida, Walter Benjamin, Adorno and Girard approach mimesis in a diverse
way. Derrida uses the idea of mimesis in relation to texts. He argued
that mimesis resists theory and
construct a world of illusion, aesthetic and images in which existing world are
changed and re-interpreted .Freud identifies his concept of identification with
the early stage of human development and he also claim that what we call personality
is nothing more than thehistory of our identification .French literary critics
Rene Girard viewed mimesis as a primordial tendency in human life, which Plato
intensely misinterprets .Girard argued that mimesis as vibrant social force
that lies at the origins of religion and culture. Girard came across the evidence
of ‘mimetic desire’ in history of novel
.Romantic myth regards desire as spontaneous, original and unique to
each individual ,Girard never support the view and he used the history to
questioning this notion of desire .Girard pointed that mimetic desire never
reduced into Plato’s paradigm .Eventhough it is imitated ,desire does not
divided into original and copy
.Originality is the result of desire not its reality .Girard identify
two categories of meditation –external and internal .Both the external and
internal meditation reveal that desire is produced by mimesis not need .
ROUSSEAU’S VIEW ON
MIMESIS
Mimesis
is not only an imitation of nature but a way to understand human socio cultural
life. There is a twist in the Aristotelian notion of mimesis, an imitation of
nature, through the writings of Rousseau and Lessing. They consider mimesis in
associate with the individual creativity. Rousseau in his theory of acting
argued that a mimesis has a basic role in human social life. Like Plato Rousseau also viewed imitation as
both deceptive and cause of dangerous and unreasonable emotions. Rousseau
argued “ the foundation of imitation among us comes from the desires always to
be transported out of ourselves” (Rousseau ,1979;104) . Rousseau’s view on
mimesis give emphasis to conscious act of mimesis in social life whereas other
nineteenth century theorists hold up Freud’s
unconscious forms of mimesis in
culture .
CONCLUSION
Mimesis
is a term of censure, it had a Greek origin.The term has a relation with both arts
and life. That’s why work of most writers are occupied by this term . Both Plato’s and Aristotle’s
classical view illustrate that mimesis is an imitation . Horace believed that
imitation is not copying but recreating something that already exist. Longinus regards imitation is an influence of
past writers on the present. He viewed mimesis as a way to
achieve sublimity . Sidney, a Renaissance critic express his idea in his Apologie for Poetrie mimesis is not only an imitation but a
creation of something new. He divided poetic imitation into three . Realists
called this imitation as a
verisimilitude . Psycho analytical theorist also give an important place
to mimesis .Freud called imitation as an identification .Lacan also developed
his view on imitation from Freud’s view .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
·
Potolsky Matthew ,Mimesis, London: Routledge ,2006 .
·
Abrahams, M. H .The Mirror and the Lamp , London: Oxford
,
·
Aristotle Aristotle’s Theory of Poetry and Fine Art,
trans. S. H. Butcher, New York:
Dover1951 .
·
Trade, Gabriel: The Laws of Imitaton ,1962 .
·
Freud, Sigmund
(1953-74) :The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Work of Sigmund Freud,
trans, j ,Strachey, London: Hogarth Press .
·
Nagarajan M S . English Literary Criticism and Theory Hyderabad:
Orient Blackswan, 2006 .
·
Habib, M. A. R A History of Literary Criticism From Plato
to the Present, USA: Blackwell Publishing , 2005 .
·
Abraham M.H ,Geofferey Galt Harpham , A Glossary of Literary Terms, Newyork:
Cengage Learning, 2011.
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