SOURCE: So, Francis K. H. “The Taoist Romantic Consciousness and Its Non-Mimetic View of Literature.” Tamkang Review 23, nos. 1-4 (autumn 1992-summer 1993): 512-35.

In the following essay, So argues that in contrast to the western models of philosophy, based primarily on the works of Plato and Aristotle, the Taoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu fosters a non-mimetic literature and art intent on depicting the inner harmony of the Tao rather than the outer fluctuations of nature.

According to Plato, the highest order of reality is the Idea or the ideal Form which can be attained by thinking. Below it is the worldly thing which can be perceived by the senses and is indeed an imitation of the Idea. Still below the worldly thing comes its imitation, the arts.¹ Plato also assumes that all things fluctuate. Even the most stable worldly matters are merely shadows of the ultimate reality...