Questions tagged [aristotle]
Questions about the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC) and his works. Questions about his works should be tagged with [greek-language]. Two of his works are particularly relevant to literature: the 'Poetics' (written around 335 BC) and the 'Rhetoric' or 'Art of Rhetoric'.
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Did Aristotle ever actually mention tobacco?
I found this amusing passage in Don Juan by Molière. It's a line by Sganarelle (Act 1, scene 1):
« Quoi que puisse dire Aristote et toute la philosophie, il n’est rien
d’égal au tabac : c’est la ...
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What is the difference between epic and drama in Aristotle's "Poetics"?
Aristotle argues that epic narration may have more complicated plot structures or a "multiplicity of plots" (Poetics XVIII), since it implies a higher level of action and character. Both ...
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Where did Aristotle say that a good upbringing is needed for ethics?
In his hilarious review of The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students (1987), Robert Paul Wolff claims, straight-faced, ...
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"There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea." Did Aristotle really say this?
The famous sentence "There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea" is often attributed to Aristotle.
However, I was unable to find an ...
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How well does the musical "Hamilton" conform to Aristotle's concept of mimesis?
How does the musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda reveal Aristotle's concept of mimesis (or imitation, from The Poetics), especially since it is a musical (which isn't very realistic at all?)
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Why does Aristotle reckon that the secret to humor is surprise?
Supposedly, Aristotle said:
The secret to humor is surprise.
Why does Aristotle reckon that the secret to humor is surprise?
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When did Aristotle's Poetics first become available in England?
In a comment on a recent question about T. S. Eliot's essay on Hamlet, Peter Shor wrote,
According to Aristotle, in great tragedy the hero must have a fatal flaw that leads to his downfall. What ...
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Why did Aristotle write that downfalls are not 'terrible or pitiful', and triumph unsympathetic?
Source: The Well-Educated Mind (2 edn 2016), p. 286 Top.
For Aristotle, tragedy is always a moral enterprise: Capable men, he
writes "should not be shown changing from prosperity to disaster ...
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