| Abstract [eng] |
The concept of mimesis is a focal point not only for the whole of Ancient thinking about art, but in its various forms it is one of the most enduring concepts in Western philosophy and in theory of art. Any philosophical consideration of relationship between reality and (artistic, but not only) fiction, the moral impact of art and its social or political function also rests on some form of mimesis. Equally important to the development of theory of art are the Ancient studies of the psychological impact of art, especially the concept of katharsis that Aristotle applied to arts. In its generalized form it became the concept of general use to define the psychological impact of art. The studies of Plato and Aristotle are vast, but often limited to a comparison of Republic and Poetics. Augustine has been studied very little from the point of mimesis and katharsis, often only stating that he bases his position on the foundation laid by Plato. However, the discussion of Augustine’s contribution is important - his work and its versatility completes Antiquity and begins a new Christian period. This makes him a pioneer of a new era that transcends the boundaries of his time: he sums up the ancient philosophical problems and offers a new Christian approach to them, the questions of mimesis and katharsis included. This analytical comparative study, based on a conceptual history approach, seeks not to discover intertexts and direct influences, but to reconstruct the evolution of Plato's approach and review Aristotle's contribution to these concepts, as well as to point out Augustine’s role in transforming these concepts and adapting them to Christian realities. The analysis focuses on the Plato’s dialogues Ion, Apology, Republic, Timaeus, Critias and Laws, the Poetics of Aristotle, and on Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine and Confessions. Objectives of the thesis. This master’s thesis aims to reveal the development and transformation of the concepts of mimesis and katharsis in the philosophical works of Plato, Aristotle and Augustine. This is accomplished by: 1) to reconstructing the concept of mimesis of each of the authors examined; 2) reviewing the concepts of the psychological impact of aesthetic experience in the works of the authors examined; 3) by revealing the development of reasoning based on the concept of mimesis in the works of all the authors examined; 4) by observing how Augustine transforms the concepts of mimesis and katharsis by adapting them to Christian culture. Conclusions. The problems of the ontological and moral status of mimesis formulated by Plato remained relevant and were considered in the works of both Aristotle and Augustine, taking into account the new cultural values and realities. Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine analyzed the emotional reaction to mimesis-based works, each of them giving this reaction a different cultural status in terms of the inner life of a human being and his (or hers) education. Regardless of how much the later authors relied directly on the previous ones, not only the unity of the problem but also the dialectical continuity is present in their work. While sometimes rejecting older solutions to the problem, authors maintain coherent grounds in their approach to the concepts of mimesis ant katharsis. Augustine thinks of mimesis in a whole new cultural situation, but keeps an open relationship with all the problems formulated by Plato and Aristotle. He reflects on the arts no longer from a pragmatic social and political perspective, but from the perspective of a changing, emerging Christian individual. Although he rejects pagan mimetic arts, he considers mimesis a natural form of learning as well as sees language as the only human means of establishing a relationship with God. Therefore when laying the foundations for a new Christian education, he transforms the concepts of mimesis and katharsis and adapts them to Christian realities. |
