Mimesis as Make-Believe: On the Foundations of the
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Watson, Kendall L. / Walton, Kendall, PUBLISHER: Harvard University Press, Representations--in visual arts and in fiction--play an important part in our lives and culture. Kendall Walton presents here a ong>ong>theong>ong>ory ong>ofong> ong>ong>theong>ong> nature ong>ofong> representation, which illuminates its many varieties and goes a long way toward explaining its importance. Drawing analogies to children's make believe activities, Walton constructs a ong>ong>theong>ong>ory that addresses a broad range ong>ofong> issues: ong>ong>theong>ong> distinction between fiction and nonfiction, how depiction differs from description, ong>ong>theong>ong> notion ong>ofong> points ong>ofong> view in ong>ong>theong>ong> arts, and what it means for one work to be more "realistic" than anoong>ong>theong>ong>r. He explores ong>ong>theong>ong> relation between appreciation and criticism, ong>ong>theong>ong> character ong>ofong> emotional reactions to literary and visual representations, and what it means to be caught up emotionally in imaginary events. Walton's ong>ong>theong>ong>ory also provides solutions to ong>ong>theong>ong> thorny philosophical problems ong>ofong> ong>ong>theong>ong> existence--or ontological standing--ong>ofong> fictitious beings, and ong>ong>theong>ong> meaning ong>ofong> statements referring to ong>ong>theong>ong>m. And it leads to striking insights concerning imagination, dreams, nonliteral uses ong>ofong> language, and ong>ong>theong>ong> status ong>ofong> legends and ong>mythong>s. Throughout Walton applies his ong>ong>theong>ong>oretical perspective to particular cases; his analysis is illustrated by a rich array ong>ofong> examples drawn from literature, painting, sculpture, ong>ong>theong>ong>ater, and film. "Mimesis as Make-Believe" is important reading for everyone interested in ong>ong>theong>ong> workings ong>ofong> representational art.