Old Man and the Sea is textbook Aristotle's Poetics!

While we wait for a month to pass and our memories to wane here's something important to consider when examining how authors produce master narrative works. 


2,500 years ago, yes, that's correct, 2,500 years ago, one of mankind's most famous philosophers undertook a study of Tragedy.

The philosopher was none other than Plato's star student: Aristotle.

As he had done with every subject he studied, Aristotle analyzed the greek tragedy like it was one of the biological organisms he so often observed.

After looking at many of the plays of his day and determining which were popular and which fell short, he came up with the characteristics that predispose a play to success with the demos. In other words, he uncovered all the things that must be incorporated into a play to make it successful with the public in the Athenian democracy.

In a way, he was like Darwin, sifting through all the successful characteristics of an organism that provided it with longevity and genetic fitness to survive. 

When all was said and done it came down to just a few components required to make a successful play and by extension I would submit to you, a successful narrative.

In essence, if the book you're reading cannot be made into a play or movie, it may be missing something, at least as it pertains to the common man or women in the street. 

What are the important components?

Here they are in order of importance:

Plot

Character

Reason

Diction

Lyric

Spectacle

In the next instalment we'll look at The Old Man and the Sea and see how close it comes to matching with the required Aristotelian Tragedy ideals.