The Problem of Literary Truth in Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Poetics

In contemporary literary theory, Plato is often cited as the original repudiator of literary truth, and Aristotle as he who set down that literature is “imitation,” thus himself involuntarily ban-ning literature from truth. This essay argues that these interpretations adulterate the original ar-guments of Plato and Aristotle, who both believed in literary truth. We—literary theorists and philosophers of literature—should recognize this and rethink our interpretation of these ancient texts. This will, in turn, lead us to ask better questions about the nature of literary truth and value.