The Lost Second Book of Aristotle's ""Poetics""

Walter Watson

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English

University of Chicago Press
27 June 2012

Literary theory; Philosophy; Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500

Of all the writings on theory and aesthetics—ancient, medieval, or modern—the most important is indisputably Aristotle’s Poetics, the first philosophical treatise to propound a theory of literature. In the Poetics,

Aristotle writes that he will speak of comedy—but there is no further

mention of comedy. Aristotle writes also that he will address catharsis

and an analysis of what is funny. But he does not actually address any

of those ideas. The surviving Poetics is incomplete.

Until today. Here, Walter Watson offers a new interpretation of the lost second book of Aristotle's Poetics.

Based on Richard Janko’s philological reconstruction of the epitome, a

summary first recovered in 1839 and hotly contested thereafter, Watson

mounts a compelling philosophical argument that places the statements of

this summary of the Aristotelian text in their true context. Watson

renders lucid and complete explanations of Aristotle’s ideas about

catharsis, comedy, and a summary account of the different types of

poetry, ideas that influenced not only Cicero’s theory of the

ridiculous, but also Freud’s theory of jokes, humor, and the comic.

Finally, more than two millennia after it was first written, and after five hundred years of scrutiny, Aristotle’s Poetics is more complete than ever before. Here, at last, Aristotle’s lost second book is found again.

By: Walter Watson
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 24mm, Width: 16mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 624g
ISBN: 9780226875088
ISBN 10: 0226875083
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 27 June 2012
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print

Walter Watson is professor emeritus of philosophy at Stony Brook University, State University of New York. His previous book was The Architectonics of Meaning: Foundations of the New Pluralism.

Reviews for The Lost Second Book of Aristotle's ""Poetics""

"""Walter Watson brings a deep perspective steeped in Aristotle's entire philosophy to the study of Aristotle's view of comedy and laughter. He repeatedly shows new ways in which the much contested Tractatus Coislinianus fits in with, and completes, Aristotle's wider thought about literature, catharsis, and causation in general. Just as Herculaneum papyri are bringing us more knowledge of Aristotle's dialogue On Poets, so this analysis makes the outlines of his Poetics II clearer than before."" (Richard Janko, University of Michigan)"""