The Poetics of Phantasia: Imagination in Ancient Aesthetics

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With a thorough examination of ancient views of literary and artistic realism, allegory and symbolism, The Poetics of Phantasia brings together a study of the ways in which the concept of imagination (phantasia in Greek) was used in ancient aesthetics and literary theory. The Greeks and Romans tended to think of the production of works of art in terms of imitation, either of the world around us or of a transcendent ideal world, rather than in terms of originality and creativity. Study of the way phantasia is used in ancient writing about literature and art reveals important features of the ancient approach to the arts and in doing so will also shed light on modern concepts of imagination and the literary and artistic differences between realism and allegory. Covering a range of literary and philosophical material from the beginnings of Greek literature down to the Neoplatonist philosophers of late antiquity, The Poetics of Phantasia discusses three discrete senses of imagination in ancient thought. Firstly, phantasia as visualization is explored: when a writer 'brings before his eyes' what he is describing and enables his audience or reader to visualise it likewise. The second theory of phantasia is that which is capable not only of conveying images from sense-perception but also of receiving images from intellectual and supra-intellectual faculties in the soul, and thus helping people grasp mathematical, metaphysical or even mystical concepts. Finally, phantasia is seen as a creative power which can conjure up an image that points beyond itself and to express ideas outside our everyday experience.

Reviews

This elegant, slim volume contributes to the vast literature on phantasia and imagination in Greek thought ... [It] is a rewarding study that should be widely consulted. -- James I. Porter, University of California, Irvine * Australasian Journal of Philosophy *
This work is highly commendable. It accompanies the reader through an intricate web of sometimes difficult or ambiguous philosophical formulations. It successfully engages with the polysemy of the key terms examined, constantly recapitulating the essential notions to be kept in mind before moving on to the next argument, in simple language and a straightforward style. All in all, this is a very enjoyable account of the Neoplatonic reception, and conflation, of Platonic and Aristotelian statements about the place of imagination in metaphysics I wish to conclude by stressing the quality of this book as clear and synthetic account of how the Neoplatonic school viewed the limits and powers of the imaginative faculty of the human soul. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
Rich and elegant ... Sheppards new book will provide the reader with stimulating insights and comments on a variety of ancient texts from different periods, and will encourage further discussion on the ancient concept of imagination and its aesthetic significance. * International Journal of the Platonic Tradition *
[Sheppard] tackles a difficult subject with admirable clarity. It is erudite but the many references do not impede the flow of the argument ... The discussion is impressively wide-ranging, embracing more recent theorists of the imagination such as Kant and Auerbach. Although written from a philosophers perspective, the book carries a message that will resonate with a much wider audience. * Classics for All Reviews *
The strongest reward of The Poetics of Phantasia for most scholars of thinking rhetoric is phantasia outside of a chronological framework and from a perspective indebted strongly to Plato as well as Aristotle. * Rhetoric Society Quarterly *

Author Bio

Anne Sheppard is Professor of Ancient Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her publications include Studies on the 5th and 6th essays of Proclus Commentary on the Republic (Hypomnemata 61. Gttingen 1980); Aesthetics. An introduction to the philosophy of art (Oxford 1987) and Greek and Roman Aesthetics (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Cambridge 2010). Her co-edited works include Ancient Approaches to Platos Timaeus (London 2003), Studies on Porphyry (London 2007), Aristotle and the Stoics reading Plato (London 2010) and Ancient Approaches to Platos Republic (forthcoming, London 2013).