- published: 03 Sep 2008
- views: 23271
Anti-mimesis is a philosophical position that holds the direct opposite of mimesis. Its most notable proponent is Oscar Wilde, who held in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life". In the essay, written as a Platonic dialogue, Wilde holds that such anti-mimesis "results not merely from Life's imitative instinct, but from the fact that the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realise that energy.".
Wilde's antimimetic philosophy has had influence on later writers, including Brian Friel. McGrath places it in a tradition of Irish writing, including Wilde and writers such as Synge and Joyce that "elevate[s] blarney (in the form of linguistic idealism) to aesthetic and philosophical distinction", noting that Terry Eagleton observes an even longer tradition that stretches "as far back in Irish thought as the ninth-century theology of John Scottus Eriugena" and "the fantastic hyperbole of the ancient sagas". Wilde's antimimetic idealism, specifically, McGrath describes to be part of the late nineteenth century debate between Romanticism and Realism.
Bang. Bang. It's sex and violence
on the television. Give us all a
cultural distraction or the cure.
Who's strong. Who's fast, who's in the game.
We've made our lives a competition
and we all should be ashamed.
On the couch into the window of the world.
Who cares who ends up hurt as long
as we're all entertained.
Who to be, what to eat, what to wear.
How would we make decisions if the TV
wasn't there. We are laughing at
each other. Are we so insecure?
We are staring into the eyes of someone
who isn't there. Life is not a work of art.
These moments were never meant to last.
We're so afraid to live our own lives.
It's the epitome of instinct.
We're sad, happy, depraved. Wave a prize
in front of us and watch us dance for
ratings game.
Who to be, what to eat, what to wear.
How would we make decisions if the television
wasn't there? Does it kill enough of your time?
Does it numb enough of your mind?
It feels so empty when we speak.
That's because we're still asleep.
We are laughing at each other.
Are we so insecure?
We are staring into the eyes of someone who isn't there.
Life is not a work of art.
These moments were never meant to last.
We're so afraid to live our own lives.