The Artistic Truth in Aristotle’s Criticism (Published)
The present study examines Aristotle’s definition of art. This examination helps in understanding the nature of art and the artistic truth it ought to carry. Aristotle believes that there is truth in art because it is not independent from the reality from which it emerges. The study advances the thesis that all arts are mimetic; therefore, they are produced by imitation. This notion has misled many thinkers by thinking that art is three times separated from the truth, as Aristotle’s teacher, Plato has demonstrated in his argument on the nature of imitative arts. However, Aristotle does not repudiate this assumption, but he tries to create a natural bond between art and the reality it produces. In short, Aristotle invites his readers to enjoy the artistic truth in art by separating it from the actual one in reality.
Citation: Mahmoud A. Al. Sobh, Ameen Z. Al Khamaiseh and Samer M. Al-Zoubi (2022) The Artistic Truth in Aristotle’s Criticism, European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, Vol.10, No.4, pp.58-63
Keywords: Aristotle, Reality, Truth, artistic, mimesis
Al-Ansari’s Bassma and Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden: The Journey from Reality to Fantasy (Published)
This study aims at drawing a distinction between the world of fantasy and reality in Al-Ansari’s novel Bassma and Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden. It investigates how the protagonists in both novels travel from the world of reality which is full of hopelessness, despair, and loss to the world of fantasy full of hope, happiness, and maturity. In other words, the study explores how the world of reality makes both protagonists create an imaginary or mythical world to compensate for what they lost in the world of reality and to entertain the freedom of childhood period. The study methodology is based on the comparative close reading analysis, in which some quotes are selected from both novels to illustrate the protagonists’ journey from reality to fantasy. The study concludes that in the children and young adult literature, most protagonists travel from the world of reality to fantasy in order to become self-actualized, mature, experienced, and to restore the joyful moments of childhood
Keywords: Loneliness, Loss, Reality, childhood, fantasy, garden, past memories, self-actualized
Fantasy versus Authenticity in Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child (Review Completed - Accepted)
Doris Lessing, the Nobel Laureate, is known as one of the most prominent British novelists. Adorned with many achievements she focuses on the identity as a major issue though here both the protagonists (Harriet and David) fail to build their own identity. The aim of this paper is to show the importance of dreams or fantasies in our practical life. In The Fifth Child the novelist has merged reality and imagination altogether. David and Harriet have fantasy or earlier dreams to have a big (traditional) family. Though in the era of sixties the bulk of society had changed its mind in relation to women and the family but Harriet and David neglect the drawbacks of a big family. And they also feel good with their family until they get the fifth child, Ben, who is abnormal. Even with the pregnancy of Ben Harriet feels much trouble and unnatural. Due to this child the relation between Harriet and David becomes bitter and troublesome. They feel the reality of life that is quite different from their imagination. Ben is sent to an orphanage but Harriet takes him back to home that is more problematic. Neither of the parents can love Ben because they are afraid of him and his monstrous activities. Thus this paper relates subconscious state of mind to the consciousness through the fantasies or dreams.
Keywords: Abnormal, Consciousness., Drawbacks, Fantasies, Identity, Problematic, Reality, Sub Consciousness, Unnatural