Aristotle's Poetics summary

Aristotle's Poetics summary
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#Aristotle's Poetics seeks to address the
different ~~~~~~~~~
  Aristotle's Poetics Summary
~~~~~~~~
#Aristotle's Poetics seeks to address the
different kinds of poetry, the structure of a
good poem, and the division of a poem
into its component parts. He defines
poetry as a 'medium of imitation' that
seeks to represent or duplicate life
through character, emotion, or action.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aristotle defines #poetry very broadly,
including epic poetry, #tragedy, #comedy,
dithyrambic poetry, and even some kinds
of music.
~~~~~~~
According to Aristotle, #tragedy came from
the efforts of poets to present men as
'#nobler,' or '#better' than they are in real
life. Comedy, on the other hand, shows a
'lower type' of person, and reveals humans
to be worse than they are in average. Epic
poetry, on the other hand, imitates 'noble'
men like tragedy, but only has one type of
meter - unlike tragedy, which can have
several - and is narrative in form.
~~~~~~
Aristotle lays out #six #elements of #tragedy:
#plot, #character, #diction, #thought, #spectacle,
and #song.
Plot is 'the soul' of tragedy,
because action is paramount to the
significance of a drama, and all other
elements are subsidiary.
A plot must have
a beginning, middle, and end; it must also
be universal in significance, have a
determinate structure, and maintain a
unity of theme and purpose.
* #Plot also must contain elements of
astonishment, reversal (peripeteia),
recognition, and suffering. Reversal is an
ironic twist or change by which the main
action of the story comes full-circle.
Recognition, meanwhile, is the change
from ignorance to knowledge, usually
involving people coming to understand one
another's true identities. Suffering is a
destructive or painful action, which is
often the result of a reversal or
recognition. All three elements coalesce
to create "#catharsis," which is the
engenderment of fear and pity in the
audience: pity for the tragic hero's plight,
and fear that his fate might befall us.
When it comes to character, a poet should
aim for four things. First, the hero must
be 'good,' and thus manifest moral
purpose in his speech. Second, the hero
must have propriety, or 'manly valor.'
Thirdly, the hero must be 'true to life.' And
finally, the hero must be consistent.
~~~~~~~
#Tragedy and #Epic poetry fall into the same
categories: simple, complex (driven by
reversal and recognition), ethical (moral)
or pathetic (passion). There are a few
differences between tragedy and epic,
however. First, an epic poem does not use
song or spectacle to achieve its cathartic
effect.
#Second_epics often cannot be
presented at a single sitting, whereas
tragedies are usually able to be seen in a
single viewing. Finally, the 'heroic
measure' of epic poetry is hexameter,
where tragedy often uses other forms of
meter to achieve the rhythms of different
characters' speech.
~~~~~~~
Aristotle also lays out the elements of
#successful_imitation. The poet must
imitate either things as they are, things as
they are thought to be, or things as they
ought to be. The poet must also imitate in
action and language (preferably
metaphors or contemporary words). Errors
come when the poet imitates incorrectly -
and thus destroys the essence of the
poem - or when the poet accidentally
makes an error (a factual error, for
instance). Aristotle does not believe that
factual errors sabotage the entire work;
errors that limit or compromise the unity
of a given work, however, are much more
consequential.
~~~~~
Aristotle concludes by tackling the
question of whether the epic or tragic
form is 'higher.' Most critics of his time
argued that tragedy was for an #inferior
audience that required the gesture of
performers, while epic poetry was for a
'#cultivated audience' which could filter a
narrative form through their own
imaginations. In reply, Aristotle notes that
epic recitation can be marred by overdone
gesticulation in the same way as a
tragedy; moreover, tragedy, like poetry,
can produce its effect without action - its
power is in the mere reading.
~~~~~
Aristotle
#argues that tragedy is, in fact, #superior to
epic, because it has all the epic elements
as well as spectacle and music to provide
an indulgent pleasure for the audience.
Tragedy, then, despite the arguments of
other critics, is the higher art for Aristotle. of poetry, the structure of a
good poem, and the division of a poem
into its component parts. He defines
poetry as a 'medium of imitation' that
seeks to represent or duplicate life
through character, emotion, or action.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aristotle defines #poetry very broadly,
including epic poetry, #tragedy, #comedy,
dithyrambic poetry, and even some kinds
of music.
~~~~~~~
According to Aristotle, #tragedy came from
the efforts of poets to present men as
'#nobler,' or '#better' than they are in real
life. Comedy, on the other hand, shows a
'lower type' of person, and reveals humans
to be worse than they are in average. Epic
poetry, on the other hand, imitates 'noble'
men like tragedy, but only has one type of
meter - unlike tragedy, which can have
several - and is narrative in form.
~~~~~~
Aristotle lays out #six #elements of #tragedy:
#plot, #character, #diction, #thought, #spectacle,
and #song.
Plot is 'the soul' of tragedy,
because action is paramount to the
significance of a drama, and all other
elements are subsidiary.
A plot must have
a beginning, middle, and end; it must also
be universal in significance, have a
determinate structure, and maintain a
unity of theme and purpose.
* #Plot also must contain elements of
astonishment, reversal (peripeteia),
recognition, and suffering. Reversal is an
ironic twist or change by which the main
action of the story comes full-circle.
Recognition, meanwhile, is the change
from ignorance to knowledge, usually
involving people coming to understand one
another's true identities. Suffering is a
destructive or painful action, which is
often the result of a reversal or
recognition. All three elements coalesce
to create "#catharsis," which is the
engenderment of fear and pity in the
audience: pity for the tragic hero's plight,
and fear that his fate might befall us.
When it comes to character, a poet should
aim for four things. First, the hero must
be 'good,' and thus manifest moral
purpose in his speech. Second, the hero
must have propriety, or 'manly valor.'
Thirdly, the hero must be 'true to life.' And
finally, the hero must be consistent.
~~~~~~~
#Tragedy and #Epic poetry fall into the same
categories: simple, complex (driven by
reversal and recognition), ethical (moral)
or pathetic (passion). There are a few
differences between tragedy and epic,
however. First, an epic poem does not use
song or spectacle to achieve its cathartic
effect.
#Second_epics often cannot be
presented at a single sitting, whereas
tragedies are usually able to be seen in a
single viewing. Finally, the 'heroic
measure' of epic poetry is hexameter,
where tragedy often uses other forms of
meter to achieve the rhythms of different
characters' speech.
~~~~~~~
Aristotle also lays out the elements of
#successful_imitation. The poet must
imitate either things as they are, things as
they are thought to be, or things as they
ought to be. The poet must also imitate in
action and language (preferably
metaphors or contemporary words). Errors
come when the poet imitates incorrectly -
and thus destroys the essence of the
poem - or when the poet accidentally
makes an error (a factual error, for
instance). Aristotle does not believe that
factual errors sabotage the entire work;
errors that limit or compromise the unity
of a given work, however, are much more
consequential.
~~~~~
Aristotle concludes by tackling the
question of whether the epic or tragic
form is 'higher.' Most critics of his time
argued that tragedy was for an #inferior
audience that required the gesture of
performers, while epic poetry was for a
'#cultivated audience' which could filter a
narrative form through their own
imaginations. In reply, Aristotle notes that
epic recitation can be marred by overdone
gesticulation in the same way as a
tragedy; moreover, tragedy, like poetry,
can produce its effect without action - its
power is in the mere reading.
~~~~~
Aristotle
#argues that tragedy is, in fact, #superior to
epic, because it has all the epic elements
as well as spectacle and music to provide
an indulgent pleasure for the audience.
Tragedy, then, despite the arguments of
other critics, is the higher art for Aristotle.