What kinds of imitation does Aristotle identify in poetry and tragedy? Does Aristotle convey a positive sense of the role of imitation in art? Do you think that his understanding of art in terms of imitation provide a useful way to understand what art is?
Aristotle claims that poetry is almost always imitated. He states that the types of imiation differ when the manner and the mode of the poetry are different. He also believes that imitation is a part of human nature. When we hear or see something we like, that thing tends to influence our actions and feelings. This can be applias ed to the idea of creation as well. We imitate emotions through creative mediums as a way to feel them even stronger. For example, emotions are often conveyed or intensified through music, dance, or poetry.
Aristotle believes that tragedy was born from epic poets, who began to write drama since it was seen as a higher form of art. He also believes that comedy came from lampooners who followed their natural footsteps and found themselves writing comedy. Comedy is seen as an imitation of people who are deemed to be “lower” than the rest of us. It is not meant to be purposely harmful but can occasionally take that route. Tragedy on the other hand imitates characters who are viewed as “higher” than your average person.
I personally agree with Aristotles ideas of imitation and art. I believe that having knowledge of where something originated is always helpful in developing a full understanding of a concept or a piece of art.
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