In Praise of Plato's Poetic Imagination [Paperback]

Tanner's book is a creative exploration of Plato's use of the imagination and its many layers in the dialogues. She offers substantive contributions to the 'quarrel' between philosophy and poetry and to contemporary hermeneutics of Plato.In this lucidly written and engaging book, Sonja Tanner provides an innovative interpretation of the concept of imagination in Plato's dialogues. Tanner not only rethinks the role imagination plays in Plato's portrayal of the uneasy yet productive tension between poetry and philosophy, but also extends her analysis to modern debates about the relationship between literature and philosophy.Scholars commonly depict Plato as the archenemy of poetry. This view stems in large part from Socrates' harsh treatment of poets in Republic II, III, and X; however, it also rests on the questionable assumption that Socrates spoke for Plato. Such an assumption, Tanner (Univ. of Colorado at Colorado Springs) insists, flatly ignores the role of literary form in Plato's work. When one takes into consideration that Plato wrote dialogues, not treatises; that the dialogues have poetic features; and that they often violate Plato's alleged prohibitions against quoting and imitating poets, Plato's attitude toward poetry emerges in a different light. Far from being opposed, philosophy and poetry are very much intertwined for Plato; the form of the dialogues contributes to their content. Vital to understanding this relationship is the imagination, though not only in what Plato says of it explicitly but also in how it functions within the dialogues themselves. In the end, though not everyone will agree with Tanner's self-professed 'continental' approach to Platonic studies or find her arguments compelling, her monograph will certainly generate much thought and scholarly discussion. Recommended.By the time Plato takes up the question of how we are to speak truthfully, the quarrel between the two imposing forms of such speechphilosophy and poetrywas already 'alÃ)