One of the most famous and great philosophers and thinkers of ancient Greece is Aristotle. “Poetics” is his largest, but far from his only work. Aristotle's legacy is truly enormous, and his life is eventful.
Biography
The vast majority of schoolchildren and students, having heard the name of this famous ancient Greek teacher, will name two facts: he was a pupil of Socrates and himself, in turn, taught Alexander the Great. What else was Aristotle famous for? "Poetics", of course, is the thing that has kept his name for centuries, but this is not the only thing that can be said about the personality of the thinker. It is known that he was born in Stagira between 384 and 383 BC. Aristotle spent about twenty years studying at the great academy of Plato. Researchers say that, most likely, he himself taught there for some time. After graduation, the philosopher became a mentor to the future emperor Alexander. Perhaps this post he received thanks to Hermia, an ally of the Macedonian king Philip II. He was the father of Alexander. After the young hero’s successful ascension to the throne, Aristotle returned to his homeland, and from there he moved to Athens. There he founded his own school - Likey. It is this period in the life of the philosopher that is considered the most fruitful. A lot of dialogues, “Metaphysics”, “Ethics”, “Politics” - all this was created by Aristotle. "Poetics" is supposed to have been written by him at about the same time. After in 323 BC Alexander died, the position of a philosopher in society has deteriorated significantly. In 322 BC died.
Creation
For many people, an association sits firmly in their minds: Aristotle - “Poetics”. However, he is the author of many works. They can be conditionally divided into two categories: exoteric works created in the form of dialogs and, probably, for the general public, and compositions written by him exclusively for a narrow circle of students.
"Poetics": goals, objectives, content
Aristotle's "Poetics" briefly summarizes all the literary theories of the time and establishes a number of aesthetic standards. It is a treatise entirely devoted to drama. There is reason to believe that it originally consisted of two parts, but the first was not preserved. Currently, the most common theory is that, in the first half of the manuscript, a detailed analysis of comedy was carried out. At the very beginning of the work, Aristotle gives his interpretation of the term “poetics”. Any art, he argues, is based on a mimesis, that is, on the imitation of nature. All types of poetry, according to Aristotle, differ from each other in three ways:
1. They reproduce various subjects.
2. This is accomplished by various means.
3. Accordingly, during playback, various methods are used.
For example, aletics and kypharistics are based on harmony and rhythm, while verbal creativity uses mainly prose and meter. Types of poetry can also vary depending on the types of imitation: the epic is an objective narration of what happened before, the lyrics are based on the subjective impressions of the narrator, the drama depicts events in dynamics.
Further, the philosopher offers his definitions of comedy and tragedy. The first is a work that makes fun of human flaws. The second is any specific action that has occurred in the past. According to Aristotle, the tragedy arose from improvisations. It is distinguished by a "decorated speech", consists of six components: plot, thought, stage setting, characters of the text and musical composition. Such widely used terms as “ups and downs,” “catharsis,” “catastrophe,” “recognition,” were first introduced by Aristotle. “Poetics”, “Rhetoric” and his other works have had a huge impact on
modern philosophy.