Poetics Themes

Aristotle’s Poetics, written around 335 B.C.E., is the oldest surviving work of literary theory, which is an area of study concerned primarily with the analysis of literature. Poetics is a critical look at poetry and the effect it has on those who consume it. According to Aristotle, poetry leads to a sort of “purification” through eliciting emotions—mainly pity and fear—in a process known as catharsis. In his definition of poetry, Aristotle includes…

Aristotle’s Poetics is particularly concerned with mimesis, a Greek word used within literary theory and philosophy that loosely translates to “representation” or “imitation.” In Ancient Greece, where Aristotle lived and wrote, art—including visual art and poetry—was considered mimetic. This idea means that, in one way or another, all art is a representation or imitation of nature, including human nature. Mimesis was a hot topic in Aristotle’s time, and some writers…

In Poetics, Aristotle examines the defining features of a successful poem, specifically of tragedy and epic poetry. He breaks down the required component parts of an effective tragedy—including plot, character, diction, spectacle, reasoning, and lyric poetry—and he explores each component part individually. He discusses the parts of diction, the rhetoric behind reasoning, and the natural human inclinations that make lyric poetry and spectacle so pleasing and entertaining…