ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Ironically it was Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, who was the first theorist to defend literature and poetry in his writing Poetics against Plato’s objection and his theory of mimesis.

Detailed explanation-2: -To state it in contemporary terms: Plato believes both in literary truth-i.e., that fiction can contain truth-and in literary value as truth-value-i.e., that the value of a piece of literature depends, at least in large part, on whether its content is true.

Detailed explanation-3: -Thus, Aristotle’s criticisms challenge Plato to clarify his views but do not refute his position.

Detailed explanation-4: -In practice Platonic criticism is part of an extensive approach to literature, involving an examination of the moral, ethical, and historical effects of a work of art.

Detailed explanation-5: -Although Plato had been his teacher, Aristotle disagreed with much of Plato’s philosophy. Plato was an idealist, who believed that everything had an ideal form. Aristotle believed in looking at the real world and studying it.