Santiago Juan-Navarro

For Plato mimesis is the appearance of the external image of things. In his view, the reality was not to be found in the world of objects but in the realm of ideas. Therefore, Plato sees the arts as an occupation that is inferior to science and philosophy, but that is also a potential source of corruption. His concept of imitation, although it evolved over time, led him to take an increasingly dogmatic and intolerant position regarding artistic creation. His notion that poetry is morally dangerous establishes the foundations for a didactic critique, which tends to flourish in societies undergoing political crises. Plato wrote his works during an age of instability and decline; an age when the role of Athens as the leading power in the Mediterranean was beginning to be questioned. Through an analysis of Ion and Books II, III, and X of The Republic, this essay explores the epistemological and moral —rather than aesthetic— nature of Plato’s judgment on the value of Poetry and the Arts.

Archival Reflections explores the works of critically acclaimed contemporary New World writers - Carlos Fuentes (Mexico), Julio Cortazar (Argentina), Ishmael Reed, and E. L. Doctorow (United States) - from two innovative perspectives: the new historical novel of recent decades and the current postmodernist debate." "Due to its scope and perspective this work has a relevance that extends far beyond the conventional bounds of literary studies. Concerned as it is with issues of historical understanding, culture, and politics, it has implications for the literary histories of Spanish America and the United States, as well as for the fields of inter-American and cultural studies, literary theory, and historiography