Who among the following was of the view that poetry was only an imitation of an imitation and therefore trivial?

Correct option is A

Explanation:
Plato, in his work The Republic, criticizes poetry and art as imitations of reality. He argues that poets and artists merely imitate the physical world, which itself is an imitation of the ideal world of Forms. Hence, he viewed poetry as an "imitation of an imitation," making it twice removed from the truth and trivial in nature.
Plato believed that poetry lacked the capacity to impart true knowledge and could potentially corrupt morality by appealing to emotions rather than reason.

Information Booster:
Plato: Advocated for the exclusion of poets from his ideal state as their works could mislead people.
Phaedo: A dialogue by Plato discussing the soul's immortality, but it does not focus on poetry or imitation.
Xenocrates: A successor of Plato but did not criticize poetry as Plato did.
Aristotle: Defended poetry in Poetics, viewing it as a form of imitation that serves to educate and evoke catharsis.

Additional Knowledge:
Plato categorized reality into three levels:
Forms (Ideal world) – True reality.
Physical world – Imitation of Forms.
Art and Poetry – Imitation of the physical world, hence furthest from truth.
Aristotle's Defense: In contrast to Plato, Aristotle praised poetry for its mimetic nature and educational value.