Leiden University Student Repository

Rozenbrand, Meike (2024)

“I am lying”: Reception of Platonic and Aristotelian mimesis and fictionality in Lucian’s Verae Historiae

Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)

This thesis has aimed to explore how Plato and Aristotle develop the philosophical basis for the analysis of fictionality that Lucian interacts with in the Verae Historiae to construct his own account of fictionality. Even though Lucian engages with Plato’s conceptions about mimesis and the falsity of literature and places the Verae Historiae on the truth-false spectrum, he actually follows Aristotle in his approach to mimesis and fictionality. When reading the ‘Trip to the moon’ as a joke about the existence of an alternate world, the Realm of Forms, Lucian attacks and ridicules the actual metaphysical cause of why literature is often false, within the framework of entertaining mimesis, and therefore makes light of the entire idea of falsity. From this reading, it seems that Lucian is agreeing with Aristotle and opposing Plato. Lucian, like Aristotle, does not suppose literature that is fictional is harmful, but causes pleasure. In Aristotle it is an inherent quality of successful...Show moreThis thesis has aimed to explore how Plato and Aristotle develop the philosophical basis for the analysis of fictionality that Lucian interacts with in the Verae Historiae to construct his own account of fictionality. Even though Lucian engages with Plato’s conceptions about mimesis and the falsity of literature and places the Verae Historiae on the truth-false spectrum, he actually follows Aristotle in his approach to mimesis and fictionality. When reading the ‘Trip to the moon’ as a joke about the existence of an alternate world, the Realm of Forms, Lucian attacks and ridicules the actual metaphysical cause of why literature is often false, within the framework of entertaining mimesis, and therefore makes light of the entire idea of falsity. From this reading, it seems that Lucian is agreeing with Aristotle and opposing Plato. Lucian, like Aristotle, does not suppose literature that is fictional is harmful, but causes pleasure. In Aristotle it is an inherent quality of successful mimesis and in Lucian it is even a goal in itself.Show less

Fictionality, mimesis, Aristotle, Plato, Lucian

Author

Rozenbrand, Meike

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Classics

Supervisors

Dr. A. Celkyte

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en