Ars Poetica
"Ars Poetica" refers to poetry that examines the nature of poetry itself, essentially delving into the process and art of writing verse. The term originates from a notable poetic essay of the same name written by the Roman poet Horace around 15 BCE. In this work, Horace provides guidance for aspiring poets, discussing the beauty and purpose of poetry and offering advice on various aspects such as style, structure, and audience engagement. His approach emphasizes the importance of clarity and self-awareness in writing, encapsulated in the notion that once published, a poem cannot be retracted.
Throughout history, this concept has inspired many poets to reflect on their craft, leading to a rich array of works that explore the relationship between the poet and their art. Prominent examples include Emily Dickinson's "Tell all the truth but tell it slant," which suggests that truth in poetry requires subtlety, and Archibald MacLeish’s "Ars Poetica," which articulates his beliefs about the essence of poetry. As such, "ars poetica" has evolved into a broader literary tradition where poets engage with the intricacies of their own creative processes and the role of poetry in society.
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Ars Poetica
Simply put, ars poetica is poetry written about poetry. The term comes from a 476-line poetic essay, “Ars Poetica” (“Art of Poetry”), written by Roman poet Horace about 15 BCE. Horace wrote the work as a sort of “how-to” manual for would-be poets. It was originally addressed to a prominent Roman family whose son had expressed interest in becoming a poet, but Horace also intended it to be a dissertation on the beauty and purpose of poetry. In the modern sense, ars poetica is any style of poetry that treats the process of writing poetry or the poem itself as its own subject. Among the best-known examples of ars poetica are “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” by Emily Dickinson and “Ars Poetica” by Archibald MacLeish.
Background
The Roman poet Horace was born Quintus Horatius Flaccus in Apulia, Italy, in 65 BCE. He attended school in Rome before moving to Athens, Greece, to study literature and philosophy. During the mid-first century BCE, Rome was torn apart by a series of civil wars. In 44 BCE, Horace sided with the politician Brutus and fought at the Battle of Philippi two years later. Brutus and his army were defeated in the battle, but Horace and other soldiers were granted amnesty by the victorious Augustus, who would later become Rome’s first emperor.
With his hopes of a military career dashed, Horace began writing poetry as a way to gain recognition in Rome. He befriended the noted Roman poet Virgil and later served Augustus as an advisor. Horace published his first work, Satires, in 35 BCE. He became well-known for publishing satirical works; lyrical poems; letters; odes; and epodes, a type of poem written in two lines with one line shorter than the other. He is best known for his odes, highly personal works in which he often addressed the reader as “you” and himself as “I.” Horace’s work also revealed some of his own personality, including his fondness for friendship, nature, and good food and wine. In “The Delights of Spring,” from his fourth book of Odes, Horace tells Virgil that he will provide the wine for a party, since celebrating is a way to “mix a bit of silliness into your scheming / sometimes it’s good to be foolish.” Horace died in 8 BCE at the age of fifty-six.
Overview
About 15 BCE, Horace wrote “Ars Poetica,” also called the “Epistle to the Pisos,” a reference to a prominent Roman family by that name. The term epistle means “letter,” and “Ars Poetica” was intended as a letter to the eldest son of the Piso family, who wanted to write poetry. The work was written in Latin in a poetic style called dactylic hexameter, in which each line consists of six stressed syllables that follow a pattern of long-short-short. The style was often used in classical Greek and Latin literature and does not easily come through when translated into English. As a result, Horace’s “Ars Poetica” is typically translated as prose in modern times.
Horace presents a critical approach to poetry, explaining what he perceives as the beauty of the art form. In one well-known line, he compares poetry to painting and explains how both can be crafted to be experienced in different ways. He writes: “As is painting, so is poetry: some pieces will strike you more if you stand near, and some, if you are at a greater distance: one loves the dark; another, which is not afraid of the critic’s subtle judgment, chooses to be seen in the light.”
Most sections of “Ars Poetica” consist of Horace offering tips on how to write poetry well. Among the topics he covers are poetic styles, moods, genres, and structure, as well as the history of classical poetry. Horace advises poets to be concise, keep their audience in mind, understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and write to their strengths. In one line, he advises poets to be sure of their work before they publish it, as “a word once sent abroad can never return.”
Horace’s “Ars Poetica” was not translated into English until 1640, but, since then, it has inspired other poets to look inward to their craft for commentary and criticism. One of the first such practitioners was English poet Alexander Pope, whose 1709 work “Essay on Criticism” made numerous references to Horace as he offered his own thoughts and advice on poetry. Over time, the artistic examination of poetry by poets took on the name ars poetica.
Modern poetry contains numerous examples of ars poetica, some of which serve as examinations of poetry as a craft and an art form, and others that explore the process of writing. For example, nineteenth-century American poet Emily Dickinson writes in “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” that truth in poetry is too bright to be presented in its full scope. Instead, it should be seen through the “slant” presented by the poet so that “The Truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind.”
In contrast, the poem “Why I Am Not a Painter” by twentieth-century American poet Frank O’Hara compares the artistic processes of a painter and a poet. O’Hara writes about how his painter friend was creating a work called Sardines, yet the painting contained no actual sardines. O’Hara then explains how he was thinking of oranges when he wrote a poem called “Oranges,” yet the poem does not contain any reference to the fruit.
One of the best-known examples of ars poetica was written in 1926 by American poet Archibald MacLeish. Titled “Ars Poetica,” the poem presents MacLeish’s views on what poetry should be and criticizes the traditional rules used in formal poetry at the time. The twenty-four-line poem includes lines such as “A poem should be palpable and mute / As a globed fruit,” “A poem should be motionless in time / As the moon climbs,” and “A poem should not mean / But be.”
Bibliography
“Ars Poetica.” Poem Analysis, 2023, poemanalysis.com/horace/ars-poetica/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
“Ars Poetica.” Poetry Foundation, 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69381/ars-poetica. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
“Ars Poetica Summary & Analysis.” Lit Charts, www.litcharts.com/poetry/archibald-macleish/ars-poetica. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
Ayla, Ginger. “Five Ars Poeticas to Make You Think About Poetry in a New Way.” The Writing Cooperative, 9 July 2022, writingcooperative.com/five-ars-poeticas-to-make-you-think-about-poetry-in-a-new-way-b1aab388a6ec. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
“Horace.” Poets.org, poets.org/poet/horace. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
St. James, D. “Ars Poetica: Poetic Forms.” Medium, 23 Jan. 2022, medium.com/@d‗st‗james/ars-poetica-poetic-forms-45f306304cb6. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.