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Start giftingAristotle's Poetics
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“Essential reading for all writers. Aristotle breaks down the dramatic and epic forms and gives us guidelines for the successful execution of proper plays / fiction / poetry. I first read this book at nineteen years old and it had the effect on me of ruining most books and films for a while. It had this effect because all good drama follows certain patterns. As a young man this disturbed me because I thought that art was there to transcend these “boundaries”. It was not until much later that I was able to see the beauty in the fact that certain patterns are built into the human spirit and that is what makes great art. If you are interested in theater or are a writer yourself then you must read this short volume.”
— Jean-Paul • Space Cowboy Books
Summary
Aristotle's Poetics is best known for its definitions and analyses of tragedy and comedy, but it also applies to truth and beauty as they are manifested in the other arts. In our age, when the natural and social sciences have dominated the quest for truth, it is helpful to consider why Aristotle claimed poetry is more philosophical and more significant than history. Like so many other works by Aristotle, the Poetics has dominated the way we have thought about all forms of dramatic performance in Europe and America ever since. The essence of poetry lies in its ability to transcend the particulars of everyday experience and articulate universals, not merely what has happened but what might happen and what ought to happen.
© Agora Publications