Lesson 2: Classical Theories

Who said that "Poets are unwholesome and dangerous and should be banished from society-- "

 One of the earliest springboards used in the analysis of literary texts

Who said that "Poetry appeals to the worst part of the soul and arouses, nourishes and strengthens base elements.. "

Tragedy is an imitation of action that is serious and complete; a “re-creation” or “representation” of reality.

Loftiness and excellence in language that uplifts the reader and makes him or her react as the writer desires.

Who said that "They pretend to know all sorts of things but they really know nothing at all "

 contains surprises that fit logically into the sequence of events

the best kind of surprises are brought about by

Composed around 330 BCE as lecture notes. Response to Plato’s “The Republic”

(hamartia or flaw in the form of hubris or excessive pride)

what is anagnorisis?

Who said that "The things they deal with cannot be known: they are images far removed from what is most real "

describes the social function, and the ethical utility, of art.

costuming of the actors, the scenery, and all other aspects that contribute to the visual experience of the play

 contributes to the effectiveness of great or sublime writing

Who said that "poetry is mimetic or imitative in that it creates a representation  of objects and events in the world"

developed theories on the effective composition of prose texts, commented style of orators,historians,and philosophers.

-relatively noble, going from happiness to misery as a result of an error

Practical suggestions about the grammatical constructions and figures of speech

should be unified: every element should tie with the rest, leaving no loose ends

History of Tragedy?

Who made "Basic Tenets"

the processes of reasoning that lead characters to behave as they do.

 They formulated ideas about the nature of poetry, its effects, and its function in society.

Who said that "The images they portray do not imitate the good part of the soul. "

6 parts of tragedy

approaches literary texts as a natural scientist, carefully accounting for the features of each "species" of text

Five Sources of Sublimity;1. Natural Capacities of the Author:

must have good qualities appropriate to his or her station and should be portrayed realistically and consistently.

Five Sources of Sublimity;2. Rhetorical Skills

From its beginnings in the Homeric epics, Greek poetry reflected on ?

Horace main contribution to the traditions of literary theory

Poetry and tragedy as subject matter

Who said that "Poetry corrupts even the best souls and deceives us into sympathizing with those who grieve excessively "

Horace: the pleasure of --- makes it popular and accessible, and its lessons thus can be widely learned.

Poetry invites us to imagine its subject matter as real while acknowledging that it is in fact, fiction.

Aristotle defines tragedy according to these seven characteristics:mimetic (“Art imitates life”)

refers to the vocal compositions incorporated into the performance,

philosophical evaluation about the elevating, moving powers of poetry and oratory

Who said that "Tragedy as the most re-fined version of poetry "

a Roman poet, best known for his satires and his lyric odes.

refers to the metrical composition of the spoken lines.

such excellence, grandeur or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe 

Who interpreted, analyzed, and evaluated the texts of poets and prose writers?

what is peripeteia?