Nothing New Under the Sun -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 13:00:00 04/28/08 Mon
Author: Shannon
Subject: Nothing New Under the Sun
In reply to: JD 's message, "Re: Rejection of Imitation in Music" on 17:06:42 04/27/08 Sun

So, any one has taken a few history classes or read a few history books has noticed that there is absolutely nothing unique in the patterns of human life. In Early Modern Europe you discuss the military revolution and how the rise of standing army, replacing the feudal knight system, gave more power to the king and began to emancipate the lower classes. But go back a few centuries and you discover that this "revolution" happened with the hoplites in Ancient Greece and again with the rise of the Athenian navy. Or how many times have nations gone from aristocracy to monarchy to democracy to despotism? I suppose all I am say is that if man were to look back at himself he would discover that everything he raises as revolutionary or original has really already happened before. Perhaps, rather than futilely pursing originality, we ought to focus on what is worth doing and doing it well.

Along these lines, if originality truly was the primary measuring mark of art, then all the arts would have to cease. Instead, it seems that the role of the artist is to repeat, to model himself off what has already been done as a way to remind humanity which has quite the habit of forgetting itself and what it once knew to be true. A professor reminded me of a quote along these lines recently (I am not sure who it is from, however...): "The role of the artist is to state the obvious." Rather encouraging, isn't it?

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