Poetics
Author: Aristotle
Genre: Non-Fiction
Year: 330 B.C.
Rating: 10 of 10
Essential reading for all writers. Aristotle breaks down the dramatic and epic forms and gives us guidelines for the successful execution of proper plays / fiction / poetry. I first read this book at nineteen years old and it had the effect on me of ruining most books and films for a while. It had this effect because all good drama follows certain patterns. As a young man this disturbed me because I thought that art was there to transcend these “boundaries”. It was not until much later that I was able to see the beauty in the fact that certain patterns are built into the human spirit and that is what makes great art. If you are interested in theater or are a writer yourself then you must read this short volume.
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