Classical literary theory 2024/2025

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

Classical literary theory

What do the 'Harry Potter' series and 'Looking for Alaska' have in common?

Socrates

"Most existing poetry is unsuitable to educational purposes."

Why would Socrates think this?

Moral weakness

Poetry depicts Gods and heroes in various forms of moral weakness. E.g. revenge, jealousy, quarreling, showing disrespect to your parents or teachers.

Plato's republic

Excludes all poets from his ideal republic. "They are inspired or possessed. It is a form of divine madness"

Name at least three main characters in popular fiction who show signs of moral weakness

Explain what is going on in this picture.

Platonic ideal

 Beauty, truth and goodness are one. They are the ultimate values to which we should all strive.

Gleaming lights of the Souls by Yayoi Kusama

Mimesis

The physical world that we see is not the real world. Instead, it is a shadow of the true world. The Forms are perfect and eternal representations of objects and concepts in the physical world. 

Mimesis

Literature should imitate or represent reality. Only then will poetry, art and literature will lead us to beauty truth and goodness. 

Ron Mueck 

Essence before existence

This was a central concept in Aristotle's Poetics. He argued that poetry is a form of mimesis. Literature imitates or represents reality. 

Verisimilitude

The quality of appearing true or real, even if the work is fictional. Classical theorists emphasized the importance of creating a sense of verisimilitude in literary works. 

Verisimilitude

Our world is a bad copy of the world of ideas. Art is an even worse copy of that bad copy.

Aristotle

Poetry and drama can stir up extreme emotions, but experiencing these emotions through fiction is beneficial. Story telling creates a safe space where we can explore extreme emotions and situations without actually participating in them.

What is good literature according to Plato?

Catharsis

Which aspects of classical literary theory can you use to analyse a novel?