Single Idea 16566

[catalogued under 21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / b. Literature]

Full Idea

Poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.

Gist of Idea

Poetry is more philosophic than history, as it concerns universals, not particulars

Source

Aristotle (The Poetics [c.347 BCE], 1451b05)

Book Reference

Aristotle: 'The Basic Works of Aristotle', ed/tr. McKeon,Richard [Modern Library Classics 2001], p.1464


A Reaction

Hm. Characters in great novels achieve universality by being representated very particularly. Great depth of mind seems required to be a poet, but less so for a historian (though there is, I presume, no upward limit on the possible level of thought).