1. Greco-Roman criticism: Horace & Longinus
Presented by:
Dr. Gehan Anwar Deeb

2. Outline: By the end of this lecture, you are expected to learn about:
Horace - Works.
Principles of writing
The Subject of Poetry:
Poets & Imitation
Ars Poetica
Language and Diction of Poetry.
Poetry& painting.
Form and content matched.
Views on Drama.

3. Introduction
Plato and Aristotle are succeeded by a number of Roman literary critics.
Horace and Longinus.
(Quintus Horatius Flaccus)
born in Apulia, Italy, (65 BC – 8 BC)
A Roman lyric poet, satirist, and critic
Father sent him to the finest school in Rome.
Horace then studied literature and philosophy in Athens.
Horace

4. Horace’s Works Art of Poetry Ars Poetica
(makes fun of life in Rome)
Satires
(sermons on morals, religion and philosophy)
Epistles
Art of Poetry
Ars Poetica
(principles for writing poetry and tragedy)
- basis for Alexander Pope’s Essay on Literary Criticism in the 18th C.

5. Horace DO’S AND DON’TS FOR THE WRITER according to Horace:
Write about traditional subjects in unique ways
All epics must begin in medias res (imitating authors of antiquity).
Avoid all extremes in:
subject matter,
word choice,
vocabulary, and
style.
Avoid appearing ridiculous (aim their sights low) –not attempting to be a new Virgil (70 – 19 AC) or Homer (8th Century BC)
LITERATURE’S ULTIMATE AIM: “dulce et utile” to be
sweet and useful

6. Poets The Subject of Poetry:
For Horace, the poet should know his limitations and choose a subject appropriate to his gifts.
POETS MUST IMITATE OTHER POETS,
particularly those of the past, instead of nature.
Triangle/Triple E E E
Esthetic Value (sweet): Will people like it?
Ethical Value (useful): Will people find it useful?
Economic Value (How much will it cost?
THE POET’S TASK IS TO COMBINE USEFULNESS AND DELIGHT
or to TEACH and DELIGHT
Poets

7. Ars Poetica
In Ars Poetica (a Latin phrase meaning “the Art of Poetry”), Horace expressed his own rules for writing poetry under three titles:
a) Poesis or the subject-matter
b) Poema or form, and,
c) Poeta or the poet.

8. The role of imagination according to Horace:
:The Function of Poetry
To Plato: seeking the ideal.
To Aristotle: achieving catharsis through pity and fear.
To Horace: creating beauty.
The role of imagination according to Horace:
The poet is free to use his imagination but he should remain true to life.

9. Poetry = Painting: Horace equates poetry with painting.
It is not merely imitation,
it is also a creative imagination .
Poetry needs to be beautified by words.
Painting needs to be beautified by colors.

10. Diction and Language of Poetry
He emphasizes the right choice and arrangement of words in composition (like Aristotle),
A poet is free to use both familiar and new words that come and go like the leaves of a tree.
The words need to be used in their proper places (Appropriateness of words).
The language of poetry: should be different from the language of common people.
Meter: Each type of poetry must have its own appropriate meter (Appropriateness of meter).

11. The style should be proper.
Form and content matched:
The style should be proper.
By proper, he means that:
trivial and serious matters should not be written in the same way,
treatment of serious matter should not be in trivial form.
Therefore, form and content should be matched.

12. Views on Drama Drama Plot Style Characters
Horace studies drama under three heads:
Drama
Plot
Characters
Style

13. Views on Drama Horace studies drama under three heads:
Plot: should be borrowed from familiar material; the chorus should be an integral part of the plot.
Characters: should behave naturally.
Style: Iambic meter was most suitable for drama. Dramatic speech should suit the character, its sex, its age and its moods.
(neoenglish.wordpress.com

15. ASSIGNMENT 1
Answer the following questions, with respect to the authors listed below. Be as concise as possible. Prepare to participate actively in a seminar.
Authors: Socrates – Plato – Aristotle –Horace – Longinus
Who was this author? When did he live and what historical or literary period he represents?
For which work or works is he known?
What do you know about this work (s)?
What was his contribution to literary criticism?
Can he be compared to any of his predecessors?
Was he a forerunner of any literary criticism movement?
What is your personal perception of this author?
Describe the concept of “imitation” according to the author?
Define modern literary criticism?