The Relevance of Aristotle’s Poetics to the World Today...

The Relevance of Aristotle’s Poetics to the World Today The Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje, in his last novel titled In the Skin of a Lion, wrote that the first sentence of every novel should be: Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human (Ondaatje 223). Ondaatje noted that what makes a novel a novel is order or, as that order is sometimes referred to today, plot and structure. It is that structure that we, as both the audience and the artist, rely on to understand and appreciate a work of art. But, even though Ondaatje noticed the order necessary, he did not do what has been done before--offer an explanation, or rather, a definition of that order. Over two-thousand years before†¦show more content†¦In other words, a work of art must contain a single, unified plot. The other two unities that, although not the exact words of Aristotle, can be assumed from his writings, are the unities of time and of place. Based collectively on these three unities, the neo-classical definition of art st ates that a play, or a novel, or any work of art, must have a single plot, take place in a twenty-four hour period of time, and only in locations that can be realistically achieved in the twenty-four hour limitation (Harmon 495). Along these same lines, Aristotle adds that art must have a beginning, middle, and end and must stress the universal rather than the peculiar. The second, and perhaps most well-known of Aristotles theories, is his idea of catharsis. Aristotle says that the tragedy, or, as will be shown later, any type of art must have an emotional effect on its audience and through pity and fear effect a catharsis; that is, by the plays end, the audiences emotions should be purged, purified, or clarified (Aristotle 42). In doing this, the artist must give close attention to diction or language itself, be it in verse, prose, or song, but ultimately, it is the thoughts expressed through language that are of the utmost concern. Now that a few of the major theories of Aristotle have been closely examined, theShow MoreRelatedA Critical Note on New Historicism Essay2751 Words   |  12 Pagesof criticism is termed as Hellenic, means Greek, period of criticism. Plato’s Republic is looked upon as the first critical book in which he expresses the ideas regarding the literary and poetic process. It is then Aristotle who in real sense commenced the critical journey still potent and pervasive. His Poetics has proved an immortal foundation stone of criticism for the proceeding centuries, and it has caloured thoughts and talents of almost all the critics and theorists irrespective of languageRead MoreThe Defense of Poetry and An Apology for Poetry2888 Words   |  11 Pagesholding it to be self-evident. In considering how convincingly Sidney makes his argument, it is important to explore and challenge this premise. Perhaps the best contender for a role of equal value in literature is that of catharsis. Aristotle’s poetics, from which the term first appeared, defines the process of catharsis as using vicarious experience through literature and drama to guide the audience through negative emotions and therefore ‘effecting the proper purgation of these emotionsRead MoreThe Educated Imagination3194 Words   |  13 Pagesenvironment: â€Å"the world as it is.† This language produces conversation. 2. â€Å"The language of practical sense† is our means of â€Å"social participation,† our means of taking part in our civilization. This language produces information. 3. â€Å"The language of literature† is our means of entering the world of imagination: â€Å"the world we want to have.† This language produces poetry, first of all. Science and literature move in opposite directions. Science begins with the external world and adds imagination