Aristotle

Malcolm Heath

Provides a translation of Aristotle's classic study of the nature of poetry.

Poetics

Eloise

This small book is organized to analyse tragedy along various lines, laying out the four types of tragedy (complex, sad, ethical, and simple), the elements of a tragedy (prologue, episode, exode, choral song, parode, and stasimon), and so on. However, two concepts from the study are likely to be the most well-known. The first is the notion that stories give catharsis. Plato, his mentor, saw the stories transmitted via poetry as all danger and no return. That is, there was a chance that impressionable young minds might take away the incorrect teachings, and there wasn't much to mitigate that risk. Aristotle did believe in something, and it was catharsis, or the cleansing of emotions through vicarious living.

Second, there is the notion that there are six critical parts to a tragedy, and that they are important in about that sequence. A significant portion of the text is devoted to dissecting these aspects. In terms of narrative, for example, Aristotle talks extensively on reversals and recognition (the moment a character finds some vital piece of information,) teaching us a little about how these events work best. In terms of character, Aristotle discusses the type of character that provides the finest tale, which is similar to the advice found in writing books today that discuss flawed but good characters. Perfect people are uninteresting, while terrible characters have their comeuppance in a tragedy.

I was astonished at how current this book is, given that it is maybe the earliest book of literary theory. It's well worth reading. It's a short read at fewer than fifty pages (not including the additional material found in many editions), and while it's a little dry at points, it's not cruel by any means. So, given its historical significance, read it.

Andrew Molina

Really helpful for understanding where plays come from and their basic structures

Poetics

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