Free Downloads Poetics (Oxford World's Classics)
"What is poetry, how many kinds of it are there, and what are their specific effects?"Aristotle's Poetics is the most influential book on poetry ever written. A founding text of European aesthetics and literary criticism, it has shaped much of our modern understanding of the creation and impact of imaginative writing, including poetry, drama, and fiction. This brief volume brims with Aristotle's timeless insights into such topics as the nature of tragedy and plot-a veritable gold mine for writers and anyone with a serious interest in literature. Moreover, this volume boasts a marvelous new translation by our greatest living historian of philosophy, Anthony Kenny, who also provides an illuminating introduction to this classic work. Kenny sheds light on the philosophical underpinnings of Aristotle's literary criticism and he illuminates the ideas about poetry, drama, and tragedy that have influenced writers and dramatists ever since. Kenny also includes excerpts from key responses to Aristotle, ranging from Sir Philip Sidney's Apology for Poetry and Shelley's Defense of Poetry, to Dorothy L. Sayers' Aristotle on Detective Fiction. The book also features helpful notes, a glossary of key terms, an index, a useful bibliography, and a chronology of Aristotle's life.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Series: Oxford World's Classics
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (January 20, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199608369
ISBN-13: 978-0199608362
Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.3 x 5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #69,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > Aesthetics #31 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Aesthetics #37 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Ancient & Medieval Literature > Greek
Extremely well translated, explained and expounded. So much so that I had to stop my reading and come write this review.I first read "Aristotle's Poetics" by S. H. Butcher and Francis Fergusson; an absolutely terrible translation.Then I read "The Art of Poetry" by Ingram Bywater (a free translation of Aristotle's Poetics). It has a decent preface, but the translation was crabbed and stilted (although better than the one above).After reading everything I could find online concerning The Poetics (Wikipedia, Spark Notes, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, etc.) the material was still floating around a bit vaguely in my mind. So I decided to purchased this latest translation and read the original again.This translation is the one that should be in classrooms and read by screenwriters, etc. etc.This is comparable to the NIV translation of the Bible as contrasted with the KJV. First time readers of the Poetics should begin here.
I bought this because Aaron Sorkin said it was one of his favorite books on writing. I expected dense and it is but not in the way I imagined. It's also clever and interesting and in an odd way comforting to know these writing principles are ancient and true-- true in the way of hitting their mark. However, a practical guide on writing this is not, you have to sift through it to find what applies to your writing. Not sure I agree with Sorkin, but glad to have read it. Plus, now I can sound sooooooo cerebral when I tell people I read this.
Understandable, and even inspirational, Anthony Kenny does a fantastic job of interpreting Aristotle. I bought it for my highschool sophomore, a homeschooling classical girl, and she and I read it together, deriving such benefit from it that now we talk about every movie we watch with Aristotles points in mind. Have not read the essays on each side of it yet, but they look to be very well written also.
I couldn't read the Poetics for pleasure before being introduced to this version. This version is great because it offers a clear, modern translation that sticks to the essence of Aristotle's text.
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