Aristotle's Poetics (Dramabook,) (Paperback)

~ (Author), S. H. Butcher (Translator), Francis Fergusson (Introduction) "The Poetics, short as it is, is the most fundamental study we have of the art of drama..." (more)
Key Phrases: tragic form, rational purpose, Oedipus of Sophocles

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The original, Aristotle's short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world's first critical book about the laws of literature. Sure, it's 2400 years old, but Aristotle's discussions--Unity of Plot, Reversal of the Situation, Character--though written in the context of ancient Greek Tragedy, Comedy and Epic Poetry, still apply to our modern literary forms. The book is quite short, and Aristotle illuminates his points with clear examples, making the Poetics perfectly readable, the better to impress people at parties when you say, "Of course, as Aristotle says..."

From Library Journal

This useful book, an extended study of the Poetics , treats such subjects as Aristotle's general aesthetic views; mimesis; pity, fear, and katharsis; recognition, reversal, and hamartia; tragic misfortune; the nontragic genres; and the historical influence of the work. Aristotle emerges as holding a deeply cognitivist view of poetry and as rejecting the attempt to judge art primarily by external (e.g., moral, political) criteria; his call for the relative autonomy of art, however, neither commits him to an aestheticist view nor prevents him from attributing to art a significant moral dimension. Halliwell's attempts to keep Plato in close view and to keep the Poetics within the context of Aristotle's philosophy as a whole are illuminating. For academic collections. Richard Hogan, Philosophy Dept., Southeastern Massachusetts Univ., N. Dartmouth
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1St Edition edition (January 1, 1961)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809005271
• ISBN-13: 978-0809005277
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #415,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Insights, May 4, 2004

By	Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The ancient observer's insights have stood the test of time. Some elements of human nature remain consistent regardless of the century or technology. Aristotle thought classification was important. In this work he sets forth a taxonomy for poetics. One of the more controversial statements he makes in this book is "poetry is both more philosophical and more serious than history." He doesn't leave it at that, being the philosopher he is he goes on to explain himsself. He adds, "poetry speaks more of what is universally the case, whereas history speaks of particular events." This book will give you a comparison that spans cultures and centuries.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best book written for understanding literature, March 6, 2000

By	Jason Hayashi (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

I learned about Literary criticism from this Aristotle's Poetics more than any other books I read on literature. The experience of discovering our ignorance, and the cause of suffering is not only essential to tragedy, but is essential to our existence as human beings. This book helped me to understand that a good literature captures this moment of knowing, that is marked by certain growth, liberation, and insight to the meaning of our lives. After sufficiently studied Aristotle, I would also recommend comparing this work to the structure of Gospel of Mark, and Martin Hengel's "Literary, Theological, and Historical Problems in the Gospel of Mark."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragedy Teaches Us Something About Life, May 8, 2008

By	Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I read these works for a graduate seminar on Aristotle.
Poetry appeals to human passions and emotions. Powerful beautiful language and metaphor really appeal to emotion. This idea really disturbed Plato, who takes on Homer in the Republic. Plato thought that early Greek poetry portrays a dark world; humans are checked by negative limits like death. Tragedy has in it a character of high status brought down through no fault of his own. Plato says this is unjust. Republic is about ethical life and justice. It starts with the premises that might makes right and then moves onto the idea much like modern religions that justice comes in the afterlife. Plato hates the idea that in tragedy bad things can happen to good people. He wanted to ban tragedy because he found it demoralizing.

Aristotle's Poetics is a defense against Plato's appeal to ban tragedy. Tragedy was very popular in Greek world so Aristotle asks can it be wrong to ban it? Yes, it is wrong thus he decides to study it. Plato says Poetry is not a technç because the poets are divinely inspired. Aristotle disagrees Poetics is a handbook for playwrights. Mimçsis= "representation or imitation." Plato uses it in speaking of painting, thus art is imitation. Another meaning is to mimic, like actors mimicking another person. Plato and Aristotle use it to mean psychological identification like how we get absorbed in a movie as if the action were real, eliciting emotions from us. We suspend reality for a while. Aristotle says this is natural in humans; we do this as children, we mimic. If imitation is important for humans then tragic poetry is worthwhile for Aristotle to study.

Definition of tragedy- "Through pity and fear it achieves purification from such feelings. This is a famous controversial line. Katharsis= "pity and fear" thus the purpose of tragedy is to purge katharsis. Katharsis can also mean purification or clean. There is a debate if it means clarification, through which we can come to understand katharsis. Aristotle thinks tragedy teaches us something about life. Tragedy is an elaboration on Aristotle's idea that good or virtuous people sometimes get unlucky and in the end, they get screwed. Tragedy shows this so we can learn to get by when life screws us. The whole point of tragedy is action over character. Action is the full story of the poem like the Iliad. Character is only part of the action.
Aristotle distinguishes between poetry and history. Poetry is concerned with universals, history is concerned with particulars.

I recommend Aristotle's works to anyone interested in obtaining a classical education, and those interested in philosophy. Aristotle is one of the most important philosophers and the standard that all others must be judged by.