The Defense of Poesy Flashcards
What claim is The Defense of Poesy answering to?
That poetry makes you effeminate weak, provokes you to commit sins is a bad influence
Why is poetry “the mother of all lies” according to Gosson?
Because it drives you away from the truth -> away from platonic ideas -> away from philosophy
How were Sidney’s arguments?
Taken from Aristotelic and Humanist beliefs
What is the lesson of horsemanship about?
It highlights the literary potential (entertaining, didactic and pleasure in complexity)
How does Sidney dismantles the argument of poetry being the mother of all lies?
By saying that a poet never affirms and so, they never lie
How did the romans and the greeks called their poets?
Greeks - Poiën (maker)
Romans - Vates (prophet)
They both mean makers of A creation
How does poetry brings us closer to God?
Poets are makers of a creation like God, as well, they are prophets. Poems = prophecies that bring you closer to God
Why is it not useless?
Because through ‘honeyed words’ it has a didactic purpose because it teaches people and inspire them
Poetry helps us to achieve _____ because it gets us closer to _____
Telos / virtue
The ultimate purpose of being. (Human’s is to get virtuous)
Telos
What kind of language Sidney uses?
Effective language that makes the reader understand that language goes beyond communication
What can poetry do for us according to Sidney?
- Conquer death by gaining remembrance from fame
- Help you move through life like rethoric
