Aristotle, art and poetry, based on his book Poetics.
[Long format repost]
The below quote is from Will Durant as he attempts to encapsulate Aristotle's view on art:
Aristotle studied at Plato's Academy in Athens, which brings continuity from Socrates -> Plato -> Aristotle.
Plato:
-----------
'And when someone honors beauty more than virtue, this constitutes nothing other than a real and thorough dishonoring of the soul'
/ Plato, Laws, Book B, 727d.
-----------
Socrates and Plato held an often times contemptful view of the poet or artist, expressed at several occasions in Plato's Republic.
This is likely because the artist was viewed as an imitator. Reality is naturally of higher value than any imitation. Add to this that Socrates was ridiculed by contemporary poets and it is possible that he held a grudge.
Aristotle:
-----------
'What aims at reality is better than what aims at appearance'.
/ Aristotle, Rhetoric, Book I, 1365-b.
-----------
From this we can notice a clear difference between Plato and Aristotle. Plato is mainly concerned with ethics and what should be morally permissible or not, whereas Aristotle is more analytical in regards to substance. Aristotle also values ethics highly, like Plato, but he is keenly interested in studying matters deeper, tending to be less judgmental.
Aristotle continues:
-----------
'What a man wants to be, is better than what a man wants to seem (to be), for in aiming at that he is aiming more at reality'.
-----------
Here Plato would focus on the ethical reasoning of *being* rather than *seeming*, while Aristotle is primarily concerned with alignment to reality. It's not that Aristotle overlooks Plato's point, he just expands upon it and focus on the realism aspect.
-----------
'And it is also natural for all to delight in works of imitation.'
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 3, 1448-b-9
-----------
Aristotle's remark here relates to delighting in realistic representations of things. He points out that we learn something from observing a realistic imitation. Aristotle continues by observing that learning is the 'greatest of pleasures'. Reality adds something to our understanding.
Aristotle expands his argument to say that 'gathering the meaning of things' is a part of what he is referring to by learning.
There is a focus on substance in Aristotle that isn't isolated to exterior appearance, but instead, to bring an understanding of what we are observing. Not merely outward expressions.
In the artform of Tragedy, Aristotle counts six parts, where he highlights the Plot.
-----------
'And again: the most powerful elements of attraction in Tragedy, the Peripeties and Discoveries, are parts of the Plot'.
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 6, 1461-33
-----------
Aristotle continues:
-----------
'We maintain, therefore, that the first essential, the life and soul, so to speak, of Tragedy is the Plot'.
-----------
Aristotle then lists Characters as the second most important part of the Tragedy art form:
-----------
'Characters come second - compare the parallel in painting, where the most beautiful colours laid on without order will not give one the same pleasure as a simple black-and-white sketch of a portrait'.
-----------
There is in Aristotle a focus on actions, on meaning and realism. Beautiful, decorative details are less important in his view than capturing the true essence of something.
It is the plot and characters that makes the story significant to us, not the dramaturgical expressions on a stage; the Spectacle.
-----------
'The Spectacle, though an attraction, is the least artistic of all the parts, and has least to do with the art of poetry. The tragic effect is quite possible without a public performance and actors.'
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 6, 1450-b-16
-----------
-----------
'From what we have said it will be seen that the poet's function is to describe, not the thing that has happened, but a kind of thing that might happen.'
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 7, 1451-a-35
-----------
There is here a focus on realism in the sense of artistic plausibility, not exact imitation.
Aristotle continues:
-----------
'Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars'.
-----------
Art builds upon universal principles that are open for all kinds of reference and reflection, whereas history is locked into specifics.
-----------
'It is evident from the above that the poet must be more the poet of his stories or Plots than of his verses'.
-----------
Again, Aristotle is looking at the meaningful significance of actions, plot and characters, rather than the format or minutiae structure of the verse.
-----------
'Of simple Plots and actions, the episodic are the worst. I call a Plot episodic when there is neither probability nor necessity in the sequence of its episodes'.
-----------
Here Aristotle reveals his lack of patience for improbable elements in a story. This is also an extension of his realism.
-----------
'The Plot in fact should be so framed that, even without seeing the things take place, he who simply hears the account of them shall be filled with horror and pity at the incidents.'
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 14, 1453-b-3
-----------
This is yet another example of Aristotle's focus on the inner workings of a story or plot, over the outward expression.
His realism then, is highly atuned to inner, psychological motivations and plausible depictions of these, rather than merely ornamental or visual effects.
-----------
'The tragic pleasure is that of pity and fear, and the poet has to produce it by a work of imitation'.
-----------
The imitation he is talking about is understandably an alignment with realistic internal realms, and how those can extend to the audience and create a meaningful experience. He is not using the term 'imitation' in a negative sense, like Plato would. Reflecting reality is a positive value for Aristotle.
-----------
'A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility. The story should never be made up of improbable incidents; there should be nothing of the sort in it.'
/ Aristotle, Poetics, Chap 24, 1460-a-26
-----------
-----------
'Any impossibilities there may be in his description of things are faults.
But from another point of view they are justifiable, if they serve the end of poetry itself - if they make the effect of either that portion of the work or some other portion more astounding'
(1460-b-23)
-----------
This is where Aristotle shines; he's playing the devil's advocate against his own argument.
He is basically admitting that if the artistic expression benefits from it, you can decide to depart from his strict guidelines. At the end of the day, a compelling result is what matters.
Now, Aristotle is still firmly standing by his stated principles, he just offers the possibility of exceptions.
In conclusion, I think it is fair to attribute the initial quote to Will Durant, as an interpretative summary of Aristotle on art.
The inward significance of art is clearly highlighted in Aristotle. As a summary it does give us a reasonable idea of Aristotle's main focus in regards to art and poetry, with some nuances.
Thank you for reading.
This is a repost from February 2023.
#Aristotle #Art #Poetry #Philosophy #Writing #WillDurant #GreekPhilosophy #Greek #Aristoteles