ABSTRACT

The ancients characterized poetry as the imitation of men in action. They had in mind such things as epic, dramatic and dithyrambic poetry, all forms of literature that tell a story. It is hard to see what else literature could be but imitation, that is, stories, of men in action. There are of course, a few exceptions; Bambi could be described as an imitation of deer in action, although deer that have the thoughts of people. If we are to understand literature as the imitation of action, then we must approach literature with a prior understanding of human action. The topic of human action, whether in life or in literature, immediately leads us to the topic of morality? Morality is not only a matter of action, but of character and thought as well where the latter notion comprehends a person's motives, intentions, and feelings; literature that "imitates" the actions of men must then necessarily have something to do with morality.