Introduction to the Poetics by Aristotle | Greek Literarure - Literary English (2024)

Who Was Aristotle?

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher, psychologist, political thinker, and polymath who lived from 384 BC to 322 BC. He was a student of Plato and studies for about 20 years (367-347BC) in Athens until death of Plato. After death of Plato, He moved to Assus and set up a school there and taught for three years there. Later on, Aristotle became the tutor of Alexander the Great. He set up his own school in Lyceum (like a college with maps, library, and additional staff). Aristotle died at the age of 62 in 322BC.

Aristotle made significant contributions to a wide range of fields, including logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, biology, and physics. His work has had a profound impact on literature and continues to be studied and debated by scholars and intellectuals today. Aristotle’s ideas and concepts have influenced various disciplines, from philosophy and science to literature and the arts. Some of his most famous works include the Poetics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, and the Metaphysics.

Introduction to Poetics

Poetics is a work by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, in which he provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the art of poetry. Written in the 4th century BCE, it is considered one of the most important works on literary theory and has been highly influential in the Western literary tradition. In Poetics, Aristotle examines various aspects of poetry, including its structure, forms, and content, and offers insights into the nature of tragedy and epic poetry. He also discusses the role of emotions and mimesis (imitation) in poetry, as well as the importance of plot, character, and language. The work has had a lasting impact on literary criticism and has inspired many subsequent works on aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

Composition of Poetics by Aristotle

There are lot of controversies regarding the book Poetics. The poetics is not written like a proper book. Moreover, book is not complete and it looks that second part of book has lost because many subject and terms are not explained like the term catharsis. Though, Poetics contains 26 chapters. The main subject of Poetics is tragedy. Comedy and Epic Poetry are also discussed in poetics but not in a detail like tragedy. Moreover, many subjects are missing in the poetics like lyrical poetry, and other forms of poetry. The poetics is divided into six parts based on subject matter.

Poetics Part 1:

Part 1 contains chapter I to V. In this part Aristotle discussed art in general, poetry and its different types. He sketches history of poetry, its evolution and various forms of poetry including tragedy and comedy. He is the detail of chapters:

  • Chapter I defines basic concepts of imitation
  • Chapter II deals with the objects of imitation.
  • In chapter III Aristotle deals with the manner of imitation.
  • Chapter IV deals with the origin and the development of poetry.
  • Chapter V is about Comedy; its nature and development.

Poetics Part II:

Part II contains chapter VI to XIX. This part is specifically dedicated to tragedy only. It includes definition of tragedy, formative elements of tragedy, plot, character, and other aspects of tragedy. The detail of subject of each chapter is:

  • In Chapter VI, Aristotle defines tragedy as an “artistic imitation of an action that is serious, complete in itself, and of an adequate magnitude.”
  • In chapter VII, Aristotle explain about construction of the plot of a tragedy.
  • In Chapter VIII, Aristotle discuses unity of plot.
  • In Chapter IX, Aristotle says that the poet represents an ideal truth. He says that poetry is more universal than poetry.
  • Chapter X deals with the classification of plot.
  • Chapter XI deals with the elements of plot.
  • Chapter XII deals with subdivisions of tragic drama such as prologue, Episode, etc.
  • In Chapter XIII Aristotle discusses the ideal structure of the plot which brings about the fullest measure of tragic effect, i.e., tragic catharsis.
  • In Chapter XIV Aristotle talks of the specific sources of the tragic catharsis.
  • Chapter XV deals with requisites of a character for a perfect tragedy.
  • Chapter XVI deals with Recognition or Discovery and various types of recognitions.
  • Chapter XVII gives practical hints for the work of composing a tragedy.
  • Chapter XVIII, according to some critics, is a later addition that deals with rules for the tragic poet.
  • In Chapter XIX Aristotle deals with thought, ideas, and diction in tragedy.

Poetics Part III:

Part three is comprised of three chapters XX to XXII that contain discussion on poetic diction.

  • Chapter XX deals with grammar.
  • In chapter XXI, the treatment of diction continues
  • Chapter XXII deals with the best style, the choice of words.

Poetics Part IV:

Part IV contains only chapter XXIII. This chapter discuss narrative poetry and tragedy.

  • Chapter XXIII deals with the Epic

Poetics Part V:

This part contains two chapters XXIV and XXVI. This part deals with epic poetry.

  • In chapter XXIV, Aristotle talks of four kinds of epic poetry: (a) Simple or (b) Complex, (c) Epics of moral character, or (d) Epics of passion.
  • Finally, in Chapter XXVI, Aristotle deals with a general problem as to which is higher, the epic or tragedy?

Poetics Part VI:

In the last part (chapter XXV) he made references to some current problems in criticism. And proposed some principles for that solutions.

  • Chapter XXV deals with the theory of criticism.

Characteristics of Poetics

The Poetics by Aristotle is a significant work of literary criticism with enduring value beyond its historical context. It is one of the oldest books that still has unique position and authenticity over all other book of literary criticism. It emphasizes the importance of a work of art as a living organism whose structure is dependent on the function of the whole, and it asserts that poetry should be judged by its own laws.

The Poetics has vital importance for its method and perspective, which emphasizes the vital structure of a poem rather than the metre. And for tragedy, he preferred to lay emphasis on catharsis rather than other parts of tragedy (i.e., the history of chorus).

The Poetics is the foundation of all subsequent philosophical discussion of literature. Much of what Aristotle lays illustrates Greek thought and concerns Greek literature; but much of what he says is the essence of light thinking about literature in general.

Aristotle’s attitude is retrospective, seeking the laws in the facts before him without making pronouncements about the literature of the future. However, the miracle of the Poetics is that it contains universal subject that still has interest of literary critics and writers. And so, the authenticity and beauty of Poetics lies in its originality. Poetics is full of original ideas that are as true today as when they were first formulated.

Taking into account the Platonic assumption that a literary form, for example, a tragedy, has the nature of a living organism, Aristotle held that each distinct kind of literature must have a definite activity or function.

As Politics is based upon researches among a great number of municipal constitutions. Similarly, Poetics conceptions are based upon a number of instances. Aristotle studies poetry in relation to man, tracing it back to the fundamental instincts of human nature, namely the instinct of imitation and the instinct of harmony.

Aristotle’s methods are exploratory and tentative. His method of inquiry is psychological, and he justifies tragedy by its emotional effects. “It is the first attempt made by man of astounding genius to build up in the region of creative art, a rational order, like that he had already established in the region of the physical sciences”. (Gilbert Murray)

The Poetics is thought-provoking and raises essential problems, though it does not always provide solutions. Aristotle’s greatness lies in his ability to ask the right type of questions, which has helped literary theory grow and advance by seeking answers to these questions.

The Poetics is a scientific work of literary criticism, and Aristotle’s methods of inquiry are analytical, inductive, and scientific in the best sense of the terms.

Some Defects in Poetics:

Major part of the poetics deals with tragedy while Epic and Comedy are treated slightly.

No one can trace that why lyric poetry is totally ignored in Poetics.

Aristotle’s Poetics has some limitations of his age and not warranted attention by later history.

Poetics can’t be understand until reader goes through Aristotle’s other books like Politics, Ethics, and Metaphysics. Because, Poetics demands some preliminary knowledge from its readers to know about some terms or a complete concept.

Poetics in not is a proper book form. Either it was not written for the sake of publication or it was not revised to come over some irregularities and anomalies.

Introduction to the Poetics by Aristotle | Greek Literarure - Literary English (2024)

FAQs

What is the introduction of Aristotle in Poetics? ›

He defines poetry as an art that imitates: “imitation . . . is one instinct of our nature” and “the objects of imitation are men in action.” He considers “Comedy . . . an imitation of characters of a lower type;” tragedy is “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude;” Aristotle ...

What are the six elements of Aristotle's poetic? ›

The 6 Aristotelean elements are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song.

What is the literary theory of Poetics? ›

As a body of theory, poetics is concerned with the distinctive features of poetry (or literature as a whole), with its languages, forms, genres, and modes of composition. A theorist of poetry or literature may be called a poetician. See also aesthetics, criticism.

What is the contribution of Aristotle's Poetics to literary criticism? ›

Aristotle's practical contribution to criticism, as opposed to his ethical defense of literature, lies in his inductive treatment of the elements and kinds of poetry. Poetic modes are identified according to their means of imitation, the actions they imitate, the manner of imitation, and its effects.

What is Aristotle's definition of literature? ›

In his work "Poetics," Aristotle defines literature as a means of imitating reality through the use of language, and he identifies several different literary genres, including tragedy, comedy, and epic poetry.

What idea did Aristotle introduce? ›

As the father of western logic, Aristotle was the first to develop a formal system for reasoning. He observed that the deductive validity of any argument can be determined by its structure rather than its content, for example, in the syllogism: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.

What are the major concerns of Aristotle's Poetics? ›

The focus is on the genre of tragedy in Aristotle's Poetics. Aristotle also stated that there are six features of a story: plot, character, thought, diction, song, and spectacle. Each one is important in its own way. The main ideas in Poetics are mimesis and katharsis.

What is the main theme of Poetics? ›

Aristotle believed that the plot plays a central role in achieving poetic impact. It is important to remember that poetry includes Greek dramatic works written in verse. Two overarching themes in Aristotle's Poetics are naturalness and the distinction between comedy and tragedy.

What are the key elements of tragedy according to Aristotle's Poetics? ›

Aristotle assesses this play as the perfect tragedy and takes many examples from this play to prove his views and arguments on Tragedy. Aristotle observes six components that constitute a successful tragedy and they are: plot, character, thought, diction, song and spectacle.

What is poetics in English literature? ›

The theory of literary techniques involved in composing verse and prose is known as poetics. If you study poetics in college, you'll read, talk, and think about a lot of literature.

What is the difference between poetry and poetics? ›

Poetry is the actual art in which you write poetry; Poetics is the theoretical background of literary devices and knowledge that you draw upon in writing said poetry.

What is the plot of poetics? ›

The plot is composed by the poet, the maker. So Poetics is the art of composing plots. Plot is the 1st principle, the end, the purpose of tragedy. Again, since what Aristotle has to say about tragedy is paradigmatic for all poetics, we can say that the plot is the purpose of all narration.

What are the key concepts of Aristotle's Poetics? ›

The key concepts in Aristotle's Poetics are imitation, action, plot, characters, diction, reasoning, spectacle, and song. The key concepts in Aristotle's Poetics include his theory of poetic art, his view on tragic drama, and his aim to secularize Greek tragedy.

What is the message of Poetics by Aristotle? ›

In Poetics, Aristotle examines the defining features of a successful poem, specifically of tragedy and epic poetry. He breaks down the required component parts of an effective tragedy—including plot, character, diction, spectacle, reasoning, and lyric poetry—and he explores each component part individually.

What is the main thrust of Aristotle's Poetics? ›

The main emphasis falls on plot structure, but we expound other important subjects dealt with in the work, such as the cognitive origins of literature, the nature of poetry, an incipient theory of media and the analysis of genres, the nature and elements of tragedy, and other subjects such as epic narrative and the ...

What is the introduction of Aristotle concept of tragedy? ›

“Tragedy,” says Aristotle, “is an imitation [mimēsis] of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions.” Ambiguous means may be employed, Aristotle maintains in contrast to Plato, to a virtuous and purifying end.

What is the introduction to the categories of Aristotle? ›

These ten categories are substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, situation, condition, action, and passion. The four-part system overlaps with the ten categories. For example, substances are divided into ''said of and not present in'' and ''not said of and not present in.

What is thought in Aristotle's Poetics? ›

CriticaLink | Aristotle: Poetics | Terms

Thought is one of the objects of tragedy–the representation of the rational processes of the characters and of the values and ideas articulated in the play.

What is the introduction of Aristotle's theory of revolution? ›

In 'Politics' - his book he discussed in detail about revolutions. Aristotle did not consider revolution as bloodshed or armed struggle. He considers revolution as a small change. Any change in the political system without changing the constitution of the state is also called a revolution.

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