Although modern criticism rejects much of the objectivity of classicism, some authors, like C. S. Lewis, use Platonic concepts to describe and to instruct. In particular, Lewis's The Great Divorce defines the form of the universe in Platonic terms. Although their different literary goals lead to differences in Plato's and Lewis's methods, The Great Divorce is founded on Plato's ideas concerning universal forms, a world of shadows, the power of reason, and even the use of imagination. Ironically, Plato, a founder of literary criticism, rejected most forms of art because they fail to imitate reality and are morally debasing. Plato's concept of reality is pivotal to understanding his criticism.
Nature copies the universal and perfect forms that reside there.
The artist imitates the world, which in turn is only an imitation of an ideal form. More than anything poetry should build moral and reasoned behavior, yet usually, it creates impulsive and faulty ideas about the state of the universe. Building on the similarities between the two writers, Lewis uses Platonic concepts in The Great Divorce and shows how destructive unreasoned emotion can be by presenting a world of ultimate reality where, in the absence of shadows, final truth can be found. However, Lewis's work cannot be construed to be merely Platonic. Because of the different goals, the two authors also diverge.