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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.2
EAN num: 9780140446364
ISBN number: 0140446362
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: March 01, 1997
Publishing house: Penguin Classics
Sale Popularity Level: 86121
Studio: Penguin Classics
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This is a translation of Aristotle's 'Poetics', an account of Greek tragedy, which demonstrates how the elements of plot, character and spectacle combine to produce 'pity and fear', and why pleasure is derived from this apparently painful process. It introduces the concepts of 'mimesis' ('imitation'), 'hamartia' ('error') and 'katharsis', which have informed thinking about drama ever since. It examines the mythological heroes whom Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripidies brought to the stage, and explains the most effective plays rely on complication and resolution, recognitions and reversals.
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Rated by buyers 
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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.
Rated by buyers 
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Aristotle, one of our earliest and greatest extant recorded thinkers, explains his views on poetry in its ancient forms, epic and tragedy - what makes them work and what makes them work well. This explanation is on a basic and elemental level, and thus his ideas are still applicable to the modern forms of poetry and performance (as actors generally performed poetry in Aristotle's time, competitvely and non-competitively), making the text useful yesterday in the application of his ideas as well as in giving us an interesting glipse of this art in Aristotle's era. However, this is not one of his originally published texts but probably lecture notes, the larger text intended for public dissemination being sadly lost. Thus much of Poetics is quite cryptic or truncated; this leaves some segments open to interpretation, which readers who favor the open-ended may prefer while those desirous of knowing the author's exact ideas and intentions may dislike. The meaning sometimes, however, is so obscure as to be beyond interpretation. Fortunately, translator Malcolm Heath's copious notes and sprawling introduction elucidate its murkier aspects, clarifying what Aristotle most likely meant in most cases and offering probable interpretations for others along with popular alternate theories from other translators. He also explains why the text is so cryptic, especially in its discusion of comedy, telling us of a second part which is no longer extant and the fact previously mentioned that these are most likely lecture notes. All in all this is a very interesting and usually useful text as well as a wonderful and wonderfully annotated translation, clarifying what would have otherwise been unclear and, at times, quite frustrating. I highly recommend it, especially in favor of finding a free and non-annotated text online.
Rated by buyers -
By this time, the importance of Aristotle as a philosopher and the very first analyst of drama is well known. For budding screenwriters, reading and understand his Poetics is one of the requirements for building good stories. Since I can't read the original in its Attic Greek, good translations are worth their weight in gold.
Malcolm Heath's excellent translation is incredible. First, the introduction to the main work is longer than the translation itself. Heath dissects and explains EVERYTHING so that when reading the main work, things are clear. Not satisfied with that, there are notes to the translation as well! One comes away from this work with a crystal clear understanding of the concepts Aristotle teaches.
This definitely is my preferred translation of the Poetics. 10 stars!
Rated by buyers -
No joke - the introduction written by a modern scholar is more or less neck to neck with Aristotle's 'essay' on storytelling (Poetics) as far as length is concerned. This is good because, quite honestly, the average person will have a hard time understanding the concept Aristotle is trying to get across with his archaic (no insult intended) analysis.
But first, my "credentials" as a reviewer:
I started reading Plato because I watched some movies (Truman Show, The Matrix) and some Anime (The Big O) in which the screenwriters heavily borrowed from Republic and other Platonic dialogues when shaping their plots. At first, I read just so I can understand the plot of these works of visual art a little better. After a couple of dialogues (I especially liked Phaedo and Theatetus - I still haven't finished Republic), however, I began appreciating Greek philosophy in and of itself. Having read a bit of Plato (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Cratylus, Theatetus, and part of Republic) I decided, hey, why not go in for some of Aristotle? Supposedly this 'common sensical' philosopher was the foil of the more heavenly inclined Plato - so why not compare and contrast?
That said, Poetics has been my very first exposure to Aristotle.
Quite different from Plato too! For starters, Aristotle views poets, dramatists, "novelists" and fiction writers in general much more sympathetically than his 'teacher' - he sees them as humans with a talent who can put it to good purpose (as opposed to Plato's perception of them being the scum of the earth).
A point I would like to bring up - some people say 'Poetics' is universal, applicable to any time in history for any fiction writer or storyteller. Quite a few successful screenwriters have taken this position. The scholar who wrote up the introduction to this edition, however, disagrees - as do I. Most of the stuff Aristotle's mentions as being for making a story has already crossed my mind at one or time or another - in less stuffy, more conceptualized form, certainly, but the ideas have occured to me. Not only that, but his somewhat rigid formula, although he himself acknowledges that it isn't absolute, is very restrictive in 'what's good, what's bad'.
That said, Poetics contributes to literary theory. Plus, it can reinforce some writer's ideas about how their craft should work. More significantly, however, it is the thought of Aristotle, a highly influential philosopher, accessible through word that really captivates the reader - what he thinks about is important, but the way he thinks is what really makes him 'timeless'. His views on storytelling, however, are visibly from an era that no longer strongly coincides with our own.
Note - yes, yes, I've read some books on Greek history and know it is the Cradle of Western Civilization, spread by Rome and a major influence on history (including democracy) - but Greek academia is largely alien.
Rated by buyers -
Poetics is an illuminating analysis of poetry and its origins. Aristotle analyzes the writing of famous ancient Greek poets such as Homer, Aeschylus and Sophacles and outlines the difference in construction between poems that are tragedies and poems that are Comedy. This book is really only for those who are true Greek poetry lovers, or at least serious students of literature. I found it hard slugging indeed. But if you want to complete your education on ancient Greek philosophers, Aristotle must be read. His presentation of argument and topics for disucusion cannot be beat.
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