" Ars Poetica ", or " The Art of Poetry ", is a poem written by Horace c. 19 BC, in which he advises poets on the art of writing poetry and drama. The Ars Poetica has "exercised a great influence in later ages on European literature, notably on French drama", and has inspired poets and authors since it was written. Although it has been well-known since the Middle Ages , it has been used in literary criticism since the Renaissance .
19-584: The poem was written in hexameter verse as an Epistle (or Letter) to Lucius Calpurnius Piso (the Roman senator and consul) and his two sons, and is sometimes referred to as the Epistula ad Pisones , or "Epistle to the Pisos". The first mention of its name as the "Ars Poetica" was c. 95 by the classical literary critic Quintilian in his Institutio Oratoria , and since then it has been known by that name. The translations of
38-577: A more detailed summary of Horace's Ars Poetica , see the article on Horace's Epistles – Epistle II.3). According to Howatson, many of the phrases used by Horace in Ars Poetica "have passed into common literary parlance." Four quotations in particular associated with the work are: The work is also known for its discussion of the principle of decorum (the use of appropriate vocabulary and diction in each style of writing; l.81–106) and for Horace's criticisms of purple prose ( purpureus pannus , l.15–16),
57-511: A practical standpoint—as a craft, or ars —rather than the theoretical approach of his predecessors, philosophers Aristotle and Plato . He also holds the poet in high regard, as opposed, for instance, to Plato, who distrusts mimesis and who has philosopher Socrates say in Book 10 of the Republic that he would banish poets from the ideal state. The following is a brief outline of the main subjects of
76-522: A term coined by him to mean the use of flowery language. This principle is considered a core component of Horatian poetics as it principally aimed to achieve verisimilitude in artistic representation, guiding everything from the choice of genre to diction, dramatic characterization, meter, poetic invention, and the intended effect. Some cited that decorum enforces subordination such as of parts to whole, woman to man, desire to reason, and individual to state. In line 191, Horace warns against deus ex machina ,
95-403: Is iambic pentameter , English poems have frequently been written in iambic hexameter . There are numerous examples from the 16th century and a few from the 17th; the most prominent of these is Michael Drayton 's Poly-Olbion (1612) in couplets of iambic hexameter. An example from Drayton (marking the six feet on each line): In the 17th century the iambic hexameter, also called alexandrine ,
114-460: Is a stress-timed language that condenses vowels and consonants between stressed syllables, while hexameter relies on the regular timing of the phonetic sounds. Languages having the latter properties (i.e., languages that are not stress-timed) include Ancient Greek, Latin, Lithuanian and Hungarian. While the above classical hexameter has never enjoyed much popularity in English, where the standard metre
133-415: Is a long syllable in isolation, but "cat attack" would be syllabified as short-short-long: "ca", "ta", "tack" (υ υ –). Variations of the sequence from line to line, as well as the use of caesura (logical full stops within the line) are essential in avoiding what may otherwise be a monotonous sing-song effect. Although the rules seem simple, it is hard to use classical hexameter in English, because English
152-578: Is considered the most successful hexameter text in Lithuanian as yet. For dactylic hexameter poetry in Hungarian language , see Dactylic hexameter#In Hungarian . Albert Meyer [ de ] (1893–1962) used a natural form of hexameter in his translation of some verses from Homer's Odyssey into the Swiss dialect of Bern . 1566 in poetry Nationality words link to articles with information on
171-506: The 20th century a loose ballad-like six-foot line with a strong medial pause was used by William Butler Yeats . The iambic six-foot line has also been used occasionally, and an accentual six-foot line has been used by translators from the Latin and many poets. In the late 18th century the hexameter was adapted to the Lithuanian language by Kristijonas Donelaitis . His poem "Metai" (The Seasons)
190-562: The Horatian platitude. The Horatian platitude is usually given as "instruct and delight", but sometimes as "instruct or delight". The first reading implies that all literature must be instructive. A related ambiguity is that "instruct" might be better translated as "help", "advise", or "warn". Horace repeats this maxim in different wordings: " Aut prodesse uolunt aut delectare poetae aut simul et iucunda et idonea dicere uitae " ("The poet wishes to benefit or please, or to be pleasant and helpful at
209-551: The Hymns of Orpheus. According to Greek mythology , hexameter was invented by Phemonoe , daughter of Apollo and the first Pythia of Delphi. In classical hexameter, the six feet follow these rules: A short syllable (υ) is a syllable with a short vowel and no consonant at the end. A long syllable (–) is a syllable that either has a long vowel, one or more consonants at the end (or a long consonant ), or both. Spaces between words are not counted in syllabification, so for instance "cat"
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#1732844236693228-497: The importance of Horace's Ars Poetica ( Art of Poetry ) for the subsequent history of literary criticism. Since its composition in the first century BCE, this epigrammatic and sometimes enigmatic critical poem has exerted an almost continual influence over poets and literary critics alike – perhaps because its dicta, phrased in verse form, are so eminently quotable. Horace's injunction that poetry should both "instruct and delight" has been repeated so often that it has come to be known as
247-447: The original epistle are typically in the form of prose. "Written, like Horace's other epistles of this period, in a loose conversational frame, Ars Poetica consists of 476 lines containing nearly 30 maxims for young poets." But Ars Poetica is not a systematic treatise of theory, and it wasn't intended to be. It is an inviting and lively poetic letter, composed for friends who appreciate poetic literature. Horace approaches poetry from
266-489: The practice of resolving a convoluted plot by having an Olympian god appear and set things right. Horace writes " Nec deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus ": "That a god not intervene, unless a knot show up that be worthy of such an untangler". Perhaps it can even be said that the quotability of Horace's Ars Poetica is what has given it a distinguished place in literary criticism. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism says: It would be impossible to overestimate
285-549: The pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry ; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent , but describes various combinations of syllables ). It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad , Odyssey and Aeneid . Its use in other genres of composition include Horace 's satires, Ovid 's Metamorphoses , and
304-399: The same time"), " miscuit utile dulci " ("a mix of useful and sweet"), and " delectando pariterque monendo " ("delighting and advising"). The Ars Poetica was first translated into English in 1566 by Thomas Drant . A translation by Ben Jonson was published posthumously in 1640 . Hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is
323-409: The satyric type, verse-forms, and employment of Greek models (ll. 153–294). (c) A poet's qualifications include common sense, knowledge of character, adherence to high ideals, combination of the dulce with the utile, intellectual superiority, appreciation of the noble history and lofty mission of poetry, and above all a willingness to listen to and profit by impartial criticism (ll. 295–476). (For
342-492: The work: (a) A poem demands unity, to be secured by harmony and proportion, as well as a wise choice of subject and good diction . Meter and style must be appropriate to theme and to character. A good model will always be found in Homer (ll, 1–152). (b) Dramatic poetry calls for special care – as to character drawing, propriety of representation, length of a play, number of actors, use of the chorus and its music, special features for
361-519: Was used as a substitution in the heroic couplet , and as one of the types of permissible lines in lyrical stanzas and the Pindaric odes of Cowley and Dryden . Several attempts were made in the 19th century to naturalise the dactylic hexameter to English — by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , Arthur Hugh Clough , and others — none of them particularly successful. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote many of his poems in six-foot iambic and sprung rhythm lines. In
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