Aristotle’s Poetics, Part II

<p>We begin by discussing whether Aristotle is attempting to explain how to write good poetry, or merely classifying what tragedians and other poets have done. What is the point of such classification, if not to help future poets write good poetry? We move from this to a discussion of his, surprisingly expansive, definition of metaphor. After a brief detour about the meaning of literary genius and its relationship to nature and public appreciation, we end by talking about Aristotle’s conclusion that tragedy is superior to epic.</p>