Classical Literary Criticism (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Let us sing...and praise...and rhapsodize...
Review: To the Ancients (mostly Greeks and Romans), the main
literature to be talked of was Poetry, but Poetry was
not merely what we tend to think of it as being. For
the Ancients, Poetry was primarily Drama (both Tragedy
and Comedy), because their dramas were written in
poetry, Epic poetry, Lyric poetry (shorter song poems),
Love Poetry, Choral songs, and Sacred Poetry
(Odes and Hymns).
The sources of inspiration for all of this creativity,
in their belief, was the god Apollo (Master of the Lyre,
a type of arm-balanced harp to be plucked with the
fingers of the non-holding hand)and the 9 female
divinities who served under his tutelage and protection,
the Muses. Most of the Muses came to be the specific
inspirers of some specific type of poetry: Euterpe
(Lyric poetry); Thalia (Comic drama poetry and idyll
poetry about shepherds and flocks and countryfied
lovers); Melpomene (Tragic poetry); Terpsichore
(Choral song and dance); Erato (Love poetry);
Polyhymnia (Sacred Poetry); and Calliope (Epic poetry).
The major home where the Muses were believed to reside
was Mt. Helicon in Greece, but occasionally they were
also thought to live on Mt. Parnassos (also in ancient
Greece). The Romans especially liked to think of the
Muses as residing on Mt. Parnassos.
This volume is a collection of what is considered to
be the best writing about "literary criticism" -- or
rather, poetic criticism from the ancient Greek and
Roman world. The pieces by these ancient authors
are presented in the chronological order of when the
author lived and wrote -- thus, the line of order
for the pieces is Plato (with the dialogue *Ion*,
and sections from the work *Republic* which deal
with poetry and poets, what part the arts should
play in the education of the citizen of the republic,
and the possible effects of poetry on the ethics,
morality, and lifestyles of the citizens of the republic);
Aristotle (with his work, *Poetics*, mostly dealing
with tragic-drama poetry, its purpose, its effects--
and epic poetry, and a comparison of tragedy and
epic); the Roman poet Horace (his verse[!!!] epistle
discussing poetry-*On Poetry*), and Longinus with his
treatise *On the Sublime*, which discusses works both in
poetry and prose --and style: the manner in which
the work is presented, its choice of poetic or prose
type, its use of language, its use of artistic effects
[and affects]--Longinus gives us the beginning of
real, total literary criticism of a work, analyzing
not only the "parts", but the effect of the whole
as a work of art.
This is certainly going much farther and deeper
than merely today's "instant" criticism of two
thumbs up or two thumbs down...or do I like it, or
don't I like it. This is bringing to bear intelligent,
insightful, self-examining criteria as well as turning
the critical examination upon the art work as well.
Its is a combination of philosophical examination of
aesthetics (what is beautiful? why is it beautiful?
what does it have or do that makes it beautiful? how
does it produce its effect of beauty upon the
beholder?) -- as well as psychological examination
of the beholder and what is going on inside him or her
as a result of beholding, perceiving, "participating"
in interaction with the work of art. Then, we
really get into some delicious waters--for we are
not mere "observers", but also are hooked-in participants
with the art work and its magic effects (our responses
to the work are a part of the artistic creation, too!).
In conclusion, Horace says many wondrous things
in his work, I will quote only this: "Poets aim either
to benefit [enlighten, bring about insight, understanding,
compassion], or to please [delight with effects of
engaging, subtle ideas, words, sounds, images]. ***
The man [or woman] who has managed to blend usefulness
[not practical utility, but intellectual and spiritual
deepening and eye-opening understanding] with pleasure
wins everyone's approbation [applause, cheers, seat
thumpings, sighs of admiration...], for he delights
his reader [listener]as he instructs him."
-- Horace, *On Poetry.*
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