Platonic mimesis: philosophical premises of the origins of literary theory

This bachelor’s thesis focuses on the concept of ‘mimesis’ (imitation) in Plato’s dialogues. A hermeneutic and analytic approach is taken on the dialogues of “Apology”, “Ion”, “Republic”, “Timaeus”, “Critias” and “The Laws”. The research explores the concept of platonic mimesis and the philosophical premises that surround it as well as how the concept develops. Analysis also focuses on the aesthetic and ethical functions on of imitation and its suggested place in the polis. The research suggests that not only the concept of imitation is applied to stories of all types, but the language itself is thought to be mimetic. Moreover, it is suggested that Plato implies the concept of imitation to be applied to his own dialogues. This thesis should be of interest to those keen to take a closer look into the origins of literary theory and aiming to figure out the main principles of aesthetics of Antiquity