Poetics (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Students of Literature
Review: After reading Aristotle's "Poetics," I felt a severe sense of shame for not having read it much, much sooner. As a student of literature, I found that many of the concepts upon which my evaluation of literature are based, whether I picked them up in classes or through amateur theorization, are founded in the "Poetics". The "Poetics," which the Penguin editor Malcolm Heath explains in his outstanding introduction/explication, is probably comprised of lecture notes, and not intentionally meant for public consumption, nonetheless stands as the standard against which literary criticism is gauged. This is amazing, as the work itself is hardly 50 pages long.

Aristotle begins by talking about the origins of art in imitation: Artists convey their sense of the world through imitating what they see and feel around them. This is accomplished both in visual art, and for a more thorough understanding of human events, in poetry. Aristotle goes on to explain the history of literature: how encomium(praises) and invective(curses) give rise respectively to epic and lampoons. These then pave the way for tragedy and comedy. In terms of these basic steps, in the later part of the "Poetics," Aristotle gives definitions to parts of speech, to wit, nouns, verbs, etc., and how they are used in different forms of speech, and in various contexts within the genres he outlines.

Spending the greater part of the work on an investigation of tragedy, Aristotle examines the component parts of what he takes to be the best kinds of tragedies. In terms of quality, the work must be complete, showing the causal relation of events and the causal reactions of characters to those events. It should have a plot wherein a character or characters experience a reversal of fortune or a recognition that leads to the conclusion of that plot.

Plot is essential to Aristotle, and, to appropriate Heath's translation, 'universalizes' the "Poetics" to encompass even those prose works for which Aristotle himself admits to have no definition. We can apply his standards to short stories, novels, and so on. Aristotle's notions of unity, completeness, and magnitude are the conventions to which and against which all Western literature and criticism can be seen to either conform to or struggle against. Without Aristotle's strict definitions of tragedy, comedy, unity, and so on, I can scarcely imagine how we would have notions of mock-tragedy, tragi-comedy, or even the modern or post-modern literary forms. In short, the "Poetics" is absolutely crucial reading for anyone who reads anything.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Students of Literature
Review: After reading Aristotle's "Poetics," I felt a severe sense of shame for not having read it much, much sooner. As a student of literature, I found that many of the concepts upon which my evaluation of literature are based, whether I picked them up in classes or through amateur theorization, are founded in the "Poetics". The "Poetics," which the Penguin editor Malcolm Heath explains in his outstanding introduction/explication, is probably comprised of lecture notes, and not intentionally meant for public consumption, nonetheless stands as the standard against which literary criticism is gauged. This is amazing, as the work itself is hardly 50 pages long.

Aristotle begins by talking about the origins of art in imitation: Artists convey their sense of the world through imitating what they see and feel around them. This is accomplished both in visual art, and for a more thorough understanding of human events, in poetry. Aristotle goes on to explain the history of literature: how encomium(praises) and invective(curses) give rise respectively to epic and lampoons. These then pave the way for tragedy and comedy. In terms of these basic steps, in the later part of the "Poetics," Aristotle gives definitions to parts of speech, to wit, nouns, verbs, etc., and how they are used in different forms of speech, and in various contexts within the genres he outlines.

Spending the greater part of the work on an investigation of tragedy, Aristotle examines the component parts of what he takes to be the best kinds of tragedies. In terms of quality, the work must be complete, showing the causal relation of events and the causal reactions of characters to those events. It should have a plot wherein a character or characters experience a reversal of fortune or a recognition that leads to the conclusion of that plot.

Plot is essential to Aristotle, and, to appropriate Heath's translation, 'universalizes' the "Poetics" to encompass even those prose works for which Aristotle himself admits to have no definition. We can apply his standards to short stories, novels, and so on. Aristotle's notions of unity, completeness, and magnitude are the conventions to which and against which all Western literature and criticism can be seen to either conform to or struggle against. Without Aristotle's strict definitions of tragedy, comedy, unity, and so on, I can scarcely imagine how we would have notions of mock-tragedy, tragi-comedy, or even the modern or post-modern literary forms. In short, the "Poetics" is absolutely crucial reading for anyone who reads anything.

Rating:
Summary: The basis of dramatic creativity
Review: Aristotle's "Poetics" attempts to enquire into the qualities requisite for the production of epics, the visual arts and tragedies and, in the process, he establishes concepts that have since become the cornerstones of Western dramatic and literary practice, as well as aesthetic theory. The greater part of the work is taken up by the investigation of tragedy, in which Aristotle enjoins that the perfect tragedy must have certain features: unity (of time, place and action) and completeness (consistency of plot and of the causal and psychological relations in the characters' behaviour). He also defines magnitude, (the amount of incident in a tragedy) as well as the reversals and recognitions that lead to the conclusion of the play. An important formulation is "hamartia", the tragic flaw (Othello's jealousy or Hamlet's indecision, for instance) which precipitate the protagonist's undoing. However, Aristotle's thesis, maintaining that the origin of art is in imitation, has been proven to be an untenable standpoint. Imitation is merely a mode of art, not the source of it, which is, in fact, emotion. The definition of comedy, on the other hand, is missing and, moreover, the text is corrupt and the arguments are elliptical and confusing. Aristotle's most famous conception arrived at in the "Poetics" -- (the purging, or "catharsis" of the emotions of pity and terror) which is assumed to be the principal role of tragedy, is much overrated. Basing his insight on ancient organ psychology, he makes a statement that contradicts some known facts. It is a fact that in the case of some strong emotions - such as distress or the physical act of lovemaking, for instance - the drive does not undergo a release, but is actually strengthened in the long term, regardless of its temporary abatement. Why must it be otherwise with pity and terror? Does not catharsis apply to other strong emotions as well or is it only just pity and terror? What strikes one as absurd is Aristotle's belief, or apparent belief, that there were organs that produced pity and terror and it was the objective of tragedy to empty these organs of their harmful contents. In this respect, Nietzsche (and also Plato) were correct. Aristotle was wrong.

Rating:
Summary: The basis of dramatic creativity
Review: Aristotle's "Poetics" attempts to enquire into the qualities requisite for the production of epics, the visual arts and tragedies and, in the process, he establishes concepts that have since become the cornerstones of Western dramatic and literary practice, as well as aesthetic theory. The greater part of the work is taken up by the investigation of tragedy, in which Aristotle enjoins that the perfect tragedy must have certain features: unity (of time, place and action) and completeness (consistency of plot and of the causal and psychological relations in the characters' behaviour). He also defines magnitude, (the amount of incident in a tragedy) as well as the reversals and recognitions that lead to the conclusion of the play. An important formulation is "hamartia", the tragic flaw (Othello's jealousy or Hamlet's indecision, for instance) which precipitate the protagonist's undoing. However, Aristotle's thesis, maintaining that the origin of art is in imitation, has been proven to be an untenable standpoint. Imitation is merely a mode of art, not the source of it, which is, in fact, emotion. The definition of comedy, on the other hand, is missing and, moreover, the text is corrupt and the arguments are elliptical and confusing. Aristotle's most famous conception arrived at in the "Poetics" -- (the purging, or "catharsis" of the emotions of pity and terror) which is assumed to be the principal role of tragedy, is much overrated. Basing his insight on ancient organ psychology, he makes a statement that contradicts some known facts. It is a fact that in the case of some strong emotions - such as distress or the physical act of lovemaking, for instance - the drive does not undergo a release, but is actually strengthened in the long term, regardless of its temporary abatement. Why must it be otherwise with pity and terror? Does not catharsis apply to other strong emotions as well or is it only just pity and terror? What strikes one as absurd is Aristotle's belief, or apparent belief, that there were organs that produced pity and terror and it was the objective of tragedy to empty these organs of their harmful contents. In this respect, Nietzsche (and also Plato) were correct. Aristotle was wrong.

Rating:
Summary: The earliest textbook for dramatists
Review: The "Poetics" contains Aristotle's observations on what elements and characteristics comprised the best tragedies based on the ones he'd presumably seen or read. He divides "poetry," which could be defined as imitations of human experience, into tragedy, comedy, and epic, and explains the differences between these forms, although comedy is not covered in detail and tragedy gets the most treatment. For one thing, tragedy, he states, seeks to imitate the matters of superior people, while comedy seeks to imitate the matters of inferior people.

To Aristotle, the most important constituent of tragedy is plot, and successful plots require that the sequence of events be necessary (required to happen to advance the story logically and rationally) and probable (likely to happen given the circumstances). Any plot that does not feature such a necessary and probable sequence of events is deemed faulty. Reversals and recognitions are plot devices by which tragedy sways emotions, particularly those that induce "pity and fear," as is astonishment, which is the effect produced when the unexpected happens. He discusses the best kinds of tragic plots, the kinds of characters that are required, and how their fortunes should change over the course of the plot for optimum tragic effect.

With regard to poetic language or "diction," he emphasizes the importance of figurative language (metaphor, analogy) in poetry and the importance of balancing figurative with literal language. It is his opinion that metaphoric invention is a natural ability and not something that can be taught. Of all the poets Aristotle mentions who exemplify the ideals proposed in the "Poetics," Homer draws the most praise.

Malcolm Heath's introduction in the Penguin Classics edition offers some helpful and amusing clarification and commentary on the "Poetics," including a demonstration of the Aristotelian method of constructing a tragedy using the story of Oedipus as an example. A work that is scant in volume but rich in ideas, the "Poetics" demands to be read by all those interested in ancient thought on literature.

Rating:
Summary: The earliest textbook for dramatists
Review: The "Poetics" contains Aristotle's observations on what elements and characteristics comprised the best tragedies based on the ones he'd presumably seen or read. He divides "poetry," which could be defined as imitations of human experience, into tragedy, comedy, and epic, and explains the differences between these forms, although comedy is not covered in detail and tragedy gets the most treatment. For one thing, tragedy, he states, seeks to imitate the matters of superior people, while comedy seeks to imitate the matters of inferior people.

To Aristotle, the most important constituent of tragedy is plot, and successful plots require that the sequence of events be necessary (required to happen to advance the story logically and rationally) and probable (likely to happen given the circumstances). Any plot that does not feature such a necessary and probable sequence of events is deemed faulty. Reversals and recognitions are plot devices by which tragedy sways emotions, particularly those that induce "pity and fear," as is astonishment, which is the effect produced when the unexpected happens. He discusses the best kinds of tragic plots, the kinds of characters that are required, and how their fortunes should change over the course of the plot for optimum tragic effect.

With regard to poetic language or "diction," he emphasizes the importance of figurative language (metaphor, analogy) in poetry and the importance of balancing figurative with literal language. It is his opinion that metaphoric invention is a natural ability and not something that can be taught. Of all the poets Aristotle mentions who exemplify the ideals proposed in the "Poetics," Homer draws the most praise.

Malcolm Heath's introduction in the Penguin Classics edition offers some helpful and amusing clarification and commentary on the "Poetics," including a demonstration of the Aristotelian method of constructing a tragedy using the story of Oedipus as an example. A work that is scant in volume but rich in ideas, the "Poetics" demands to be read by all those interested in ancient thought on literature.