UGC NET ENGLISH UNIT 8 : Classical & Renaissance Criticism

Unit 8 - Classical & Renaissance Criticism: Complete UGC-NET Guide

Detailed Table of Contents

• 1. Plato's Republic: The Banishment of Poets
• 2. Aristotle's Poetics: Mimesis & Catharsis
• 3. Horace's Ars Poetica: Utile et Dulce
• 4. Longinus' On the Sublime
• 5. Sidney's An Apology for Poetry
• 6. Comparative Analysis of Classical Critics
• 7. Renaissance Adaptations of Classical Ideas
• 8. UGC-NET Practice MCQs with Explanations
• 9. Conclusion: Exam Preparation Strategy

Essential Concepts for UGC-NET

• Plato's Objections: Poetry as thrice removed from truth, emotional appeal as dangerous
• Aristotle's Defense: Catharsis as purification, mimesis as creative imitation
• Horatian Principles: Utile et dulce (instruction and pleasure), decorum in art
• Longinus' Sublime: Five sources of elevated language and thought
• Sidney's Apology: Defense of poetry against Puritan attacks, synthesis of classical ideas

1. Plato's Republic: The Banishment of Poets

In Book X of The Republic (c. 380 BCE), Plato presents his controversial critique of poetry through Socrates' dialogue, ultimately arguing for the exclusion of poets from his ideal state.

Key Arguments Against Poetry

Concept	Explanation	Implications
Mimesis (Imitation)	Poetry is imitation (mimesis) of appearances, thrice removed from the ideal Forms	Art deals with illusions rather than truth
Epistemological Objection	Poets lack true knowledge of what they imitate (e.g., Homer writing about war without being a general)	Poetry cannot provide genuine knowledge
Moral Objection	Poetry appeals to emotions rather than reason, weakening moral character	Dangerous for education in the ideal state
Theological Objection	Poets portray gods as immoral, setting bad examples	Undermines proper religious education

Plato's Theory of Forms

Understanding Plato's metaphysical hierarchy is crucial for grasping his criticism:

1. Ideal Form: Eternal, perfect archetype (e.g., the Form of Bed)
2. Physical Manifestation: Carpenter's bed (copy of the Form)
3. Artistic Representation: Painter's bed (copy of a copy)

This makes poetry an imitation of an imitation, far removed from truth.

"All poetical imitations are ruinous to the understanding of the hearers... for there is no lying poet more cunning than this." - Plato, The Republic, Book X

UGC-NET Focus: Plato's objections frequently appear in 2-mark definition questions and 5-mark analytical questions about classical criticism.

2. Aristotle's Poetics: Mimesis & Catharsis

Aristotle's Poetics (c. 335 BCE) offers the first systematic defense of poetry against Plato's objections, establishing foundational concepts that shaped Western literary theory.

Key Concepts in Poetics

Concept	Definition	Significance
Mimesis	Not mere copying but creative imitation and representation of human action	Elevates poetry from Plato's charge of deception
Catharsis	Purgation/purification of pity and fear through tragedy	Defends emotional appeal as psychologically beneficial
Hamartia	Tragic flaw or error in judgment of protagonist	Creates tragic effect without moral blame
Three Unities	Action (single plot), Time (24 hours), Place (single location)	Later Renaissance interpretation; Aristotle only emphasized unity of action
Peripeteia & Anagnorisis	Reversal of fortune and recognition scenes	Essential elements of complex plot structure

Aristotle's Analysis of Tragedy

Six Elements of Tragedy (in order of importance):

1. Plot (mythos): "Soul of tragedy"; should be complete, complex, and of appropriate magnitude
2. Character (ethos): Should be good, appropriate, true to life, and consistent
3. Thought (dianoia): Intellectual content revealed through speech
4. Diction (lexis): Artistic use of language
5. Melody (melos): Choral elements
6. Spectacle (opsis): Least important; visual elements

"Poetry is more philosophical and more worthy of serious attention than history; for poetry speaks more of universals, history of particulars." - Aristotle, Poetics

3. Horace's Ars Poetica: Utile et Dulce

Horace's Ars Poetica (c. 19 BCE) established principles that became central to neoclassical criticism, particularly his emphasis on the dual purpose of poetry.

Key Principles

Concept	Explanation	Influence
Utile et dulce	Poetry should both "teach and delight" (prodesse et delectare)	Foundation for didactic literature through Renaissance
Decorum	Appropriateness of style to subject matter and characters	Influenced neoclassical rules of genre
Unity of Design	Artistic works should form a harmonious whole	Anticipates New Critical organic unity
Purple Patch	Warning against overly ornate passages (purpureus pannus)	Early critique of stylistic excess

Horace's Advice to Poets

• Either follow tradition or invent consistently
• Characters should be age-appropriate and consistent
• Mediocre poets should be "silenced by friendly criticism"
• Poets need both natural talent and craft (ingenium and ars)

Comparison with Aristotle

Aspect	Aristotle	Horace
Purpose of Poetry	Cathartic experience	Moral instruction + pleasure
Approach	Analytical (what is)	Prescriptive (what should be)
Focus	Tragedy and epic	All poetry/drama

4. Longinus' On the Sublime

Attributed to Longinus (1st century CE), On the Sublime examines what elevates literature beyond technical competence to transcendent greatness.

Five Sources of the Sublime

Source	Explanation	Example
Grandeur of Thought	Noble ideas and conceptions	Homer's epic visions
Strong Emotion	Inspired passion	Sappho's love poetry
Figures of Speech	Artful use of rhetorical devices	Demosthenes' oratory
Noble Diction	Elevated word choice and imagery	Pindar's odes
Dignified Composition	Harmonious arrangement of elements	Sophocles' dramatic structure

Longinus on Sublime Moments

Biblical Example: "God said, Let there be light, and there was light" - praised for its divine simplicity and power

Homeric Example: The silence of the Greeks advancing in the Iliad (Book 3) - creates awe through restraint

Key Contributions

• Shift from formal analysis to effect on reader
• Emphasis on emotional transport (ekstasis)
• Influenced Romantic emphasis on powerful emotion

"The sublime lifts the soul to the heights with a proud exaltation, filling it with joyful pride, as though it had itself created what it hears." - Longinus, On the Sublime

5. Sidney's An Apology for Poetry

Sir Philip Sidney's An Apology for Poetry (1595) represents the most important Renaissance English critical text, synthesizing classical ideas to defend poetry against Puritan attacks.

Key Arguments

Concept	Source	Explanation
Golden World	Original	Poet creates better nature (golden world) rather than copying (brazen world)
Defense against Charges	Response to Gosson	Refutes claims of poetry as wasteful, lying, and corrupting
Poet as Maker	Plato/Aristotle	Poet as vates (prophet) and creator (Greek poiein = to make)
Three Kinds of Poetry	Original	Divine (Bible), philosophical (moral truths), right (imaginative literature)

Sidney's Synthesis of Classical Ideas

• From Plato: Poet as inspired (Ion), but rejects banishment
• From Aristotle: Mimesis as creative, not slavish copying
• From Horace: Utile et dulce as poetry's dual purpose

Literary Criticism in the Apology

• Praises Chaucer but criticizes English drama's violation of unities
• Elevates epic poetry as highest form
• Lyric poetry as "most ancient and most excellent"

UGC-NET Focus: Sidney's synthesis of classical ideas is frequently tested, especially his concept of the golden world and responses to Puritan objections.

6. Comparative Analysis of Classical Critics

Critic	View on Mimesis	Purpose of Poetry	Key Contribution	Legacy
Plato	Dangerous imitation of appearances	None (should be banished)	First philosophical critique of art	Influenced moralistic criticism
Aristotle	Creative representation of universals	Catharsis through tragedy	Systematic literary theory	Foundation for genre theory
Horace	Skillful representation following decorum	Teach and delight	Practical advice for poets	Neoclassical rules
Longinus	Vehicle for transcendent experience	Emotional transport	Reader-response approach	Influenced Romanticism

Evolution of Key Concepts

Mimesis:

• Plato: Deceptive copying
• Aristotle: Creative representation
• Sidney: Creation of better nature

Poet's Role:

• Plato: Dangerous imitator
• Horace: Skillful craftsman
• Sidney: Divine maker

7. Renaissance Adaptations of Classical Ideas

The Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) saw classical criticism reinterpreted through humanist and Christian frameworks.

Major Developments

Aspect	Classical Source	Renaissance Adaptation	Example
Three Unities	Aristotle (only action)	Strict rules of time, place, action	Castelvetro's interpretation
Decorum	Horace	Strict genre hierarchies	Sidney's criticism of mingling kings and clowns
Defense of Poetry	Aristotle vs. Plato	Christian humanist synthesis	Sidney's golden world concept
Vernacular Literature	Classical languages	Defense of national languages	Du Bellay's Defense and Illustration

Notable Renaissance Critics

• Julius Caesar Scaliger: Strict Aristotelian rules
• Lodovico Castelvetro: Formulated three unities
• Joachim du Bellay: French vernacular defense
• George Puttenham: English courtly poetry

8. UGC-NET Practice MCQs with Explanations

1. Who among the following philosophers argued for the banishment of poets from the ideal state?

1. Plato
2. Aristotle
3. Horace
4. Longinus

Explanation: Plato makes this argument in Book X of The Republic, seeing poets as imitators of appearances who appeal to dangerous emotions.

2. The concept of "catharsis" in Aristotle's Poetics refers to:

1. Moral instruction in poetry
2. Purgation of pity and fear
3. Unity of dramatic action
4. Imitation of noble characters

Explanation: Aristotle's catharsis describes the emotional purification audiences experience through tragedy.

3. Horace's principle "utile et dulce" suggests poetry should:

1. Only delight readers
2. Only instruct morally
3. Both teach and delight
4. Follow strict formal rules

Explanation: Horace's famous dictum from Ars Poetica argues for poetry combining pleasure (dulce) and instruction (utile).

4. Which Renaissance critic wrote "An Apology for Poetry" defending poets against Puritan attacks?

1. Ben Jonson
2. Philip Sidney
3. George Puttenham
4. John Dryden

Explanation: Sidney's Apology (1595) is the foremost Renaissance English defense of poetry.

5. Match the following critics with their key concepts:

Critic	Concept
1. Longinus	A. Three unities
2. Aristotle	B. The sublime
3. Castelvetro	C. Catharsis

1. 1-A, 2-B, 3-C
2. 1-B, 2-C, 3-A
3. 1-C, 2-A, 3-B
4. 1-B, 2-A, 3-C

Explanation: Correct matching is Longinus-Sublime, Aristotle-Catharsis, Castelvetro-Three unities.

9. Conclusion: Exam Preparation Strategy

Classical and Renaissance criticism forms the foundation for Western literary theory and remains crucial for UGC-NET preparation.

Key Areas for Focus

• Conceptual Clarity: Precise definitions of mimesis, catharsis, sublime, etc.
• Text-Theorist Matching: Which concepts belong to which critics
• Comparative Analysis: How Renaissance critics adapted classical ideas
• Quotations: Notable phrases like "utile et dulce" or "golden world"

Memorization Tips

Plato's Objections (PERM):

• Poetry is imitation (mimesis)
• Epistemologically flawed
• Religiously improper
• Morally dangerous

Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy (PCTDMS):

1. Plot
2. Character
3. Thought
4. Diction
5. Melody
6. Spectacle

Final Revision Checklist

• ✓ Plato's objections to poetry and Theory of Forms
• ✓ Aristotle's concepts of mimesis, catharsis, and tragic elements
• ✓ Horace's utile et dulce and decorum
• ✓ Longinus' five sources of the sublime
• ✓ Sidney's golden world and defense strategies
• ✓ Renaissance adaptations of classical ideas

"The poet... nothing affirms, and therefore never lieth." - Philip Sidney, An Apology for Poetry