During the golden age of ancient Greece, bards wandered through the countryside, enchanting crowds by reciting the epics of Homer. Thousands of men and women gathered and were deeply moved to tears by the tragedies performed outdoors in amphitheaters during sacred festivals. This was an incredibly powerful and profound experience for the entire population. But what was happening here? Why were people so deeply affected? Well, one of the sharpest and most analytic minds in the history of the West, Aristotle, set out to answer this very question.

Aristotle's Poetics is truly one of the greatest philosophical works ever written. For over two thousand years, philosophers, scholars, and thinkers have pored over every phrase and sentence of the master's words, as if they were precious nuggets of gold. There are enough commentaries to fill several thick volumes in a university library, which is quite remarkable considering that the entire Poetics is only about twenty pages long. It covers a wide range of topics, including plot, character, language, and two highly significant concepts: mimesis (imitation) and catharsis (inspiring pity or fear).

In our modern world, we may not listen to bards recite epics or go to amphitheaters to watch tragedies, but we still have plenty of experience with these dramatic elements. We read novels, watch films, and engage with various forms of fictional storytelling. To give you a taste of Aristotle's work, I will offer my own modest comments along with quotes from the text. Consider this an invitation to explore the Poetics on your own. Below, you will find a link to a fine translation and a second link to an extraordinarily clear, brief, and easy-to-follow commentary.

Let's start with Aristotle's observation that "Poetry in general seems to have sprung from two causes, each of them lying deep in our nature. First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated... to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to philosophers but to men in general." Ah, pleasure! And the pleasure of learning about life through imitation and fiction. Even if the story involves a Siberian prison camp or an insane chase of a white whale, there is a certain pleasure in identifying with a character and experiencing their plight. Our humanity is enriched in the process.

Aristotle also defines tragedy as "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude." For example, The Maltese Falcon begins with a very serious action: a murder. And the story is complete because at the end, the case is solved and the criminals are brought to justice. How many novels and films follow this formula? Probably millions.

He also acknowledges the importance of special effects in enhancing the action, stating that "Now as tragic imitation implies persons acting, it necessarily follows in the first place, that Spectacular equipment will be a part of Tragedy." Even in ancient Greece, Aristotle recognized the power of visual elements to engage the audience.

Furthermore, Aristotle emphasizes the role of plot twists and moments of recognition in creating emotional interest in tragedy. He writes, "The most powerful elements of emotional interest in Tragedy - Peripeteia or Reversal of the Situation, and Recognition scenes - are parts of the plot." I know that in the film Gone Girl, my interest would skyrocket with every reversal and recognition. I can just picture Gillian Flynn studying her Aristotle.

Finally, Aristotle remarks that "The greater the length, the more beautiful will the piece be by reason of its size, provided that the whole be perspicuous." When we commit to a three-hour movie or a nine-hundred-page novel, we expect it to be good. And when it is, it can be a truly rewarding experience.

So, there you have it - a brief introduction to Aristotle's Poetics. I hope this has piqued your interest and encouraged you to explore this fascinating work further. Remember, the links to the translation and commentary are provided below for your convenience. Happy reading!

Poetics, on line: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poe...

Commentary: http://www.english.hawaii.edu/critica...

Every writer should read this,

as Aristotle's rules for good writing have endured for over 2,300 years and remain highly relevant. His insights provide a valuable framework for understanding the elements that make up effective written communication.

By studying Aristotle's teachings, writers can gain a deeper understanding of how to structure their arguments, engage their readers, and convey their ideas with clarity and precision.

These rules cover a wide range of aspects, including the importance of a strong beginning, a logical progression of ideas, and a satisfying conclusion.

They also emphasize the need for writers to consider their audience, use appropriate language and tone, and avoid common pitfalls such as ambiguity and vagueness.

In short, Aristotle's rules for good writing offer a wealth of wisdom and guidance that can help writers of all levels improve their craft and produce more engaging and impactful written work.

Imitation is a natural trait of humans and it shows even from their childhood. (Man is distinguished from other animals in that he is very good at imitation, and through this he acquires his first knowledge). Besides this, all people feel the pleasure of imitating. (Plato would disapprove).

Imitation plays a crucial role in human development. From a young age, children observe and imitate the actions, behaviors, and speech of those around them. This helps them learn new skills, understand social norms, and develop their language abilities. As they grow older, imitation continues to be an important part of their learning process. They imitate the work of others, learn from their mistakes, and try to improve themselves.

However, imitation also has its drawbacks. Sometimes, people may imitate the wrong things or imitate others blindly without thinking. This can lead to negative consequences, such as developing bad habits or making poor decisions. Therefore, it is important to use imitation wisely and selectively, and to always think critically about what we are imitating.

The biggest problem with this book is that it is based on the vocabulary and the golden translation from Aristotle's Buthiqa.

The golden translation is really not good and it actually causes misunderstandings about Aristotle's Buthiqa.

Moreover, this book is not short about "Aristotle" but about the art of poetry or Buthiqa. In the new printings of the book, it is not stated on the cover and in the explanatory notes that the book is only about Buthiqa.

I myself initially thought it was an introduction to Aristotle and bought the book. Well, I was wrong.

Of course, this mistake turned out to be beneficial because recently I read Buthiqa and this book was of almost good help.

Overall, although there are some flaws in this book, it still has certain value for those who are interested in the art of poetry and Buthiqa.

I have developed a rather unique habit nowadays. I take philosophy books and convert them into personal audiobooks, with the added twist of speeding them up and having Spongebob music playing in the background. Since I often find myself reading certain philosophy books multiple times, I might as well make the experience more enjoyable for myself. It's not as if I expect anyone else in the world to find this particular habit even remotely enjoyable, nor has anyone ever asked me to do this.

Few people truly understand the circular nature of good stories. They should be connected in a coherent and consistent manner. They are like patterns, cycles, composed of complementary symbols, structures, and significance. Everything within a story can mean or reflect something else. Regrettably, too many people view stories as nothing more than mere lists of events or trivia. This is simply because they are unaware of how much deeper and further they can explore the world of stories.

This is perhaps my favourite philosopher of the Ancient world chatting about literary criticism – it doesn’t really get too much better than this.

Plato, of course, wanted to banish all of the artists from his ideal republic. He believed that the world we live in is a poor copy of the ‘real’ world, and thus art is but a copy of a copy. In his view, rather than bringing us closer to the truth, art took us further away.

It can’t have been easy for Aristotle, Plato’s student, to disagree with the views of the master – but disagree he clearly did. He begins by agreeing with Plato that art is an imitation of the world. However, he argues that rather than this being a bad thing, the advantage of art is that it cuts out the dross of existence and concentrates on what is important. By doing this, art allows us to look beyond the particulars of our everyday existence and see the universals. The lessons we learn from art are thereby clearer and easier to assimilate. Life is always lived in the particular, but art, to Aristotle, allows us to see deeper truths because it moves us towards universals. Characters may have individual names, but we find it harder to distance ourselves from characters in fiction than we are able to do with characters in history.

It would be hard to discuss this book without mentioning catharsis. It is a Greek word meaning purgative, and to Aristotle the appeal of tragedies was that they act like a purgative on our emotions. It is a fascinating idea and one that I think still holds. It would be otherwise hard to see why we enjoy tragedies. The notion that ‘there but for the grace of God’ and the recognition that bad things happen even to the best of men are ideas that do have a cathartic effect on our emotions. Shit happens, but it happens to the best of us as well as to the worst of us.

There is always something nice about watching Aristotle slice up the world – he is a remarkably logical person and someone who is able to not only divide the world into its logical components, but to then say incredibly interesting things about these slices.

I first read this twenty years ago, and it is well worth reading and re-reading. It offers profound insights into the nature of art, truth, and human emotions that are still relevant today.

It all began with a meeting with a professor from my university department.

When I informed her about the book I intended to read regarding a French thinker, she posed the question, "Why are you reading texts about her and not by her?"

This was a query that I had sometimes contemplated, yet I always felt inadequate and uneasy when confronting a text written by a philosopher.

However, the manner in which she presented it to me made it seem extremely straightforward.

Consequently, when I needed to organize my understanding of tragedy, I resolved to directly refer to Aristotle's text, and I was astounded by how easily comprehensible it was!

Primarily, it examines tragedy through a form of comparison with comedy and epic.

It guides you through the elements and components of a tragedy and offers examples from tragedies, some of which, regrettably, are no longer accessible to us.

He praises Homer, and although he endeavors to highlight the differences between tragedies and epic, he occasionally presents certain Homerian characteristics as a model to be emulated in tragedies.

Evidently, what Aristotle writes here may not hold significant importance in a literal sense; that is, we don't necessarily require tragedies to occur within a day with an orderly and consequential length.

Nevertheless, the method he has employed in analyzing tragedy and various tragedies is undoubtedly a course in Literary Criticism.

I will definitely return to this text, but I am also certain that this reading has imparted a great deal of knowledge to me regarding the importance of reading the original texts rather than relying solely on their interpretations.

This text might not be the most captivating read,

yet it is quite interesting to observe the origin of half the terms from my degree.

It gives one a sense of how the knowledge and concepts that we study in our academic pursuits have evolved over time.

By delving into the history and background of these terms, we can gain a deeper understanding of their significance and application in the real world.

Moreover, it can also help us to appreciate the efforts and contributions of the scholars and researchers who have worked hard to develop and refine these ideas.

Although it may not be the most thrilling piece of writing, it serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of understanding the roots of our learning.

As a work of study, it is precious; as entertainment, it is not very suitable.

Because I am already at an age where I am more interested in entertainment than knowledge, I did not strive to understand it.

From the middle, I gave up reading the abundant footnotes and wasted the opportunity to appreciate a book that has remained alive for more than two thousand years.

This book could have provided me with a wealth of knowledge and insights into different cultures and eras.

However, due to my lack of effort and interest, I missed out on this valuable experience.

In the future, I should try to approach books with a more open and curious mind, regardless of whether they are for study or entertainment.

By doing so, I can expand my knowledge and视野, and also have a more fulfilling and enjoyable reading experience.

Aristotle's lecture notes offer a profound philosophical analysis of Tragedy and Epic. He delves into the number, variety of their forms and component parts, discerns the causes of their success and failure, and responds to the criticism of his contemporaries, especially regarding Tragedy, which he deems superior. What astonishes is that for notes from the 4th Century BCE, in translation, the work is highly accessible, and much of the information remains relevant to our modern understanding of literature and theatre. I encountered references to the 'Poetics' multiple times in modern works. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a writing manual. Aristotle's focus is on understanding, a philosophical pursuit. His ideas have been adapted in more suitable modern works, allowing us to avoid antiquated notions. It's a short work, with only about 30% being Aristotle's own in my edition. The rest is taken up by the introduction and notes by Malcolm Heath, which are extremely beneficial in clarifying ambiguous terminology and illuminating references. If you're reading Homer or Greek tragedy, now is the perfect time to pick up this work. Enjoy!

5 ⭐

I can't claim that this is among the most fascinating ancient works I've ever perused. However, I must assert that it is one of the most significant and profound.

After indulging in numerous remarkable books that form the current nourished by the principles of story as Aristotle noticed and presented to us, it becomes all too effortless to regard Poetics as a given and experience a sense of mild disappointment while reading it.

Nonetheless, Poetics is truly outstanding, notwithstanding any lukewarm emotions I might have during the reading process. We are deeply indebted to Aristotle for articulating what we know to be true whenever we come across a great story.

This work serves as a cornerstone in the study of literature, providing valuable insights into the nature and structure of storytelling.

Despite its age, it remains relevant today, inspiring generations of writers and thinkers.

Although my initial reaction to Poetics may not have been overly enthusiastic, I have come to appreciate its true worth and the lasting impact it has had on the literary world.

This book, titled "About Poetry", has been beautifully translated into Persian by Ghulam Reza Esfahani.

Poetry is a form of art that has the power to touch our hearts and souls. It can express emotions, ideas, and experiences in a unique and profound way.

The translation by Ghulam Reza Esfahani has brought this wonderful book to the Persian-speaking world, allowing more people to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of poetry.

With his skill and expertise, Esfahani has managed to capture the essence of the original text and convey it accurately in Persian.

Whether you are a poetry lover or simply interested in exploring different cultures and languages, this book is definitely worth reading.

It will take you on a journey through the world of poetry and introduce you to some of the most beautiful and inspiring works of literature.

So, pick up a copy of "About Poetry" and let the words of the poets transport you to another world.