The Poetics

Summary

Aristotle's Poetics (335 BCE) is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and first surviving philosophical treatise on dramatic or literary theory. The work begins with a preliminary discourse on tragedy, epic poetry, and comedy as the chief forms of imitative poetry. By "imitative", Aristotle means the imitation of action in words as a creative process. He distinguishes comedy, tragedy, the satyr play, lyric poetry, and epic poetry by their differences in musical rhythm, harmony, meter, melody, nature of the characters, and the manner in which the narrative is presented. The great philosopher’s analysis of tragedy forms the main body of the work, and comprises discussions of plot, characters, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle.

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