The Defense of Poesy - Phillip SIdney Flashcards
‘erected will’ vs ‘infected wit’
Unlike Calvin, Sidney has optimistic view of human nature - the idea that humanity is not inherently depraved, but is capable of the ‘erected will’
CP Aquinas - idea that ‘all cognitive beings know god implicitly’ and ‘tend’ towards ‘good’
for Sidney, what is language?
‘a treasure-house of science’ - admits influence form Italian language
how do philosophers vs historians teach compared to poets?
Philosophers teach ‘by precept’, historians ‘by exemplar’, poets by both
[interesting considering the rhetoric of exemplarity in the Renaissance; use of historical models, even by Sidney himself]
What does poetry do?
Poetry is ‘set[ting] the mind forward’, not merely ‘furnishing knowledge’
What is the problem with poetry?
Poetry, ‘being abused…can do more hurt than any other army of words’
What does NOT make a poet? WHat does?
‘it is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet, but feigning notable images of virtues, vices….delightful teaching’
What is poetry good for?
Poetry is of ‘public and private’ good for ‘singing the praises of…God’
How does Sidney mock history?
Suggests it is based upon ‘the notable foundations of hearsay’, ironically
Dispraise of a Courtly Life - intro
'Therefore shepherds, wanting skill Can Love's duty best fulfil, Since they know not how to feign, Nor with love to cloak disdain, Like the wiser sort, whose learning Hides their inward will of harming....'
Note shift to iambic quatrameter in final couplet - implying learning
Dispraise of a Courtly Life - conclusion
‘Learning this…that the meane estate is best,
Better filled with contenting,
Void of wishing and repenting’
The Smokes of Melancholy
‘Who hath e’er felt the change of love….may paint my face without seeing me’
quote in which he cites Aristotle - purpose of poetic composition, and applicable to the function of poetry upon a reader also
‘it is not gnosis but praxis must be the fruit’
