Aristotle’s Theory of Artistic Mimesis : Beyond Oska Schindler’s Jewish Redemption Presented in Thomas Keneally’s Schinder’s List

Abstract

This study attempts to provide a vivid explanation of Oskar Schindler’s virtuous act of redemption in the midst of outrageous evil. Employing expository technique, the feeling of pity and fear of Oskar Schindler in Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s List are analyzed and probed. At the center of the analysis is Aristotle’s Theory of Artistic Mimesis, particularly, the concepts of Tragic Mimesis and Catharsis as modified by Jacob Bernays and G.E. Lessing. While many argue that there are inconsistencies in Bernays and Lessing’s interpretation of catharsis, their concepts are indispensable in exploring the factors behind Oskar Schindler’s virtuous act of redemption and the extent to which these factors sustain the redemption of Schindlerjudens or the Schindler’s Jews