BY HARIZ AFTAB
At no time in the past or future can we find one individual universally endorsed definition of poetry. The men of letters in antiquity unto the present have strived to define it, express their views on it but there’s no reconciliation witnessed between the views of the two litterateurs. The discrete definitions and views are noted pouring out at times from person to person. Yet in simplest of words for everyman to get the idea, poetry more or less can be defined as a type of artistic writing which rests on the interplay of words, rhythm and rhyme.
We can lay fingers on both favorable and unfavorable views with reference to poetry. Among the ancient Greek philosophers during the classical period, Plato is the first person to adjudge poetry as ‘useless’ and says that art is ‘deceptive’ and ‘mere imitation’ of the ideas. He considers poetry to be ‘thrice removed from reality’ which suggests that a chair according to Plato in the first place exists as an idea, a carpenter constructing the chair is merely an imitation of the idea of chair and subsequently a poet discussing the chair in his poem is copying the idea further. He adds that the poetry teaches vices of gods, leads to immorality and encourages passion and emotions which hold sway over reason, logic and intellect of a person. In Plato’s ideal city of the Republic, poetry and the poets are banished. The sole form of literature he welcomes is moral.
Aristotle is another Greek philosopher and one of the students of Plato educated at Academy, a school established by Plato. He attempts to exonerate poetry of the charges levelled by his master and argues that art is not mere imitation but a very ‘creative imitation.’ It is, however, closer to reality. Art isn’t useless but ‘natural’ and it’s very natural to imitate. Children, he asserts, learn by imitation. Furthermore, good art in reality teaches morality.
Roman critic Horace during the reign of Augustus Caesar when there is a gigantic shift towards ‘nationalism’ and an ‘urge to usurp the Greek masters’ says that poetry is not ‘slavish copying’ of ideas but building something new out of the old creatively. Longinus, another Roman critic inspired by Plato deems poetry to be ‘noble lofty thoughts’ which provide ‘pleasure’ and ‘persuade’ people.
In Medieval era, literary criticism suffers and there is no considerable and compelling development in the field. However, in the Elizabethan age (1558-1603) Stephen Gosson, an English satirist who loathes poetry publishes a pamphlet “School of Abuse” in 1578 in which he designates poetry as ‘waste of time,’ ‘mother of lies,’ ‘nurse of abuse,’ and argues that Plato rightly banished poets from the Republic. He dedicates the pamphlet to Sir Philip Sidney.
Sir Philip Sidney, an English poet, scholar, courtier and soldier writes a response titled “Apology for Poetry” or “Defense of Poesie” in 1595 to Gosson’s accusations against poetry. He maintains that poetry is ‘superior to all branches of learning’ and a ‘civilizing force’ so much as for the uncivilized people like Turks and Tatars. Sir Philip Sidney points towards the Psalms in the Bible and expresses that poetry is not bad but bad poetry is bad. He calls poets ‘prophets’ and claims that poetry alone can fashion a ‘perfect lover’ and a ‘perfect friend.’ Such a perfection is indeed nowhere to be found in nature according to him. He scrutinizes poetry in contrast to history and philosophy and declares that in history, people need to infer universal truths from the facts stated while in philosophy, there are abstract and complex concepts which aren’t understood by commonality. Poetry is a ‘source of knowledge’ and encompasses direct universal truths which are comprehended by children as well.
Ben Johnson in the same era compares poetry to the art of painting and acknowledges it to be a higher form of art than painting for the reason of its explicit appeal to understanding rather than to the senses only. He follows a typical Horatian doctrine and says, “Poetry nourisheth and instructeth our Youth; delights our age; adorns our prosperity; comforts our adversity and best learned have thought her the absolute Mistress of manners; and nearest of kin to virtue.”
Then comes the Neo-classical era or the Age of Enlightenment in which the focus chiefly displaces from what poetry is to what poetry should be and the practical criticism (a practical approach of analyzing a piece of literature) commences as we lay eyes on Alexander Pope and John Dryden. Critics/writers in this age write about the qualities of poets and critics, writing tools a poet can put to use and the competent way to use them, the observance or cessation of tradition (ancient writers/rules) and what should be the nature of literary criticism. Samuel Johnson in his work “History of Raffelas” introduces a character Imlac and expresses his views on poetry through him. He says that poetry is ‘highest learning’ and poetry ‘pleases many and pleases long.’ He reflects that the poetry is the art of admixing pleasure with truth.
In Romantic age (1800-1850) S. T. Coleridge, a famous English poet and critic says that the poetry is ‘best words in best order.’ In the beginning, he stays in the company of another eminent Romantic age poet Willian Wordsworth who believes poetry to be a “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions collected in tranquility.” He looks at poetry as a ‘way of communication’ and says that people can move close to their souls by dint of poetry only if they talk about nature in it. He argues that poetic truths are superior to the truths of philosophy and that the “poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge.”
In Victorian era (1837-1901) Mathew Arnold in his work “Study of Poetry” states that the poetry is criticism of life which is governed by the poetic truth and poetic beauty. He holds that poetry alone can be our sustenance and stay in the era when religious beliefs are losing their hold. He thinks of poetry to be superior to philosophy, religion and science.
In 20th century, we catch a glimpse of the rise of school of New Criticism and a radical shift headed for textual/verbal analysis of literature. ‘Form of poetry’ becomes the point of attraction in academic circles. The theoretical basis for this school of thought are provided by T. S. Eliot and I. A. Richards. Eliot outrightly discards the romantic definition of poetry and says that poetry like Romantics claim is not the expression but an ‘escape from the personality.’ This school of thought regards poetry as ‘communication’ which is not something to teach morals, religious considerations or address social, cultural, political concerns.
Hariz aftab is an independent researcher and can be contacted at aftabhariz@gmail.com
