Shelley- A Deference of Poetry

Shelley believes that "language itself is poetry" and that this is the best form of art (290). He says people have reason and imagination and that poetry is 'the expression of that imagination.' People are also born with an order that is diverse and those with an excess of that are the best poets. Their order and language influence others and demonstrate beauty.

The authors so far in this unit have discussed the ultimate form of art. Aristotle believed that it was tragic poetry, Worsworth passionate feelings in poetry and Shelley poetry because it is language. Everyone is in agreement that poetry is the highest form of art but I would say music is. It uses poetry that is passionate language and sometimes tragic and puts a melody, that can somehow trigger these same emotions, with it to create the ultimate art. When the melody and poetry of a song move through your senses, I believe you will feel more connection with it then with just reading it.

What would Shelley think of the phrase 'a picture says a thousand words?'

Wordwsworth- Preface to Lyrical Ballads

Wordsworth finds that the most passionate poetry is found in the common life in the Preface to Lyrical Poetry. To be able to write about a everyday, humble, rural aspect, yet create a new perspective, shows great artistry. "For all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings..." (243). People are most passionate about their own lives and to write about them creates feelings, that if if written thoughtfully and deeply, can make the most purposeful poetry.

Wordsworth emphasizes the importance of history in passionate poetry, unlike Aristotle who said it is too particular. "For our continued influxes of feeling are modified and directed by our thoughts, which are indeed the representatives of all our past feelings" (243). Wordsworth believes it necessary to bring up the past to create the most passion. I have to agree with Aristotle because even if the authors past feelings bring up passion, it most likely effects the author more then the audience, where tragedy can effect all and make them all passionate about the characters.

Wordsworth speaks of passionate poetry but is the only way to get that to really speak of your past feelings?

Aristotle- The Poetics

Aristotle, in The Poetics, defines good poetry as having a complex plot where all things happen because of an action before and are the necessary results. He resolves that Tragedy is the highest form of poetry, even over Epic poetry. It is superior because it uses all the elements of epic poetry, yet is more refined and provides better pleasures, such as pity or fear. The most effective poetry is one that does not have to use any other vehicle but words to affect the listeners with such feelings. They must feel that the actions were inevitable and made in ignorance. To steer clear from bad poetry, one must make sure it is not accidental or incorrectly imitated. "Things are censured either as impossible, or irrational, or morally hurtful, or contradictory, or contrary to artistic correctness" (pg 45). These are the factors that critics watch for and are what poets need to be careful of when attempting effective poetry. In earlier writings he defined this tagic poetry as having pathos, "a quality that evokes pity or sadness." 

Effective, tragic poetry must create pathos while having a complex plot, inevitable actions and all that was stated before. This does not leave much for the artist to do except find a location and character names. He says this himself, "and it is this universality at which poetry aims in the names she attaches to the personages" (pg 26). He created this guide that all great, tragic poems must follow, but then there will be no drastic change between them, he is making them like history. "The true difference is that one reltates what has happened, the other what may happen. Poetry therefore, is a more philosophical and a higher thing than history: for poetry tends to express the universal, history the particular" (pg 26). History already happened, and except for slight differences, so did these tragic poems that Aristotle deems effective and great. He states how almost every action should happen and who should act on it, such as a killing. "But when the tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another- if, for example, a brother kills, or intends to kill, a brother, a son his father, a mother her son, a son his mother, or any other deed of the kind is done- these are the situations to be looked for by the poet" (pg 30). The universality he speaks of does not create much change in the history of tragic poems. This is not to degrade tragic poetry as not effective for creating pathos, but with Aristotle's guide, there is little freedom for variation and a poet may feel constrained when writing one. 

Is there any ledgendary and effective tragic poetry that does not follow Aristotle's design?