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Aristotle’s Poetics
The Pattern
Plot is “the first principle”
Consists of
Exposition
Incentive moment or “inciting incident”
Rising action
Crisis
Climax
Denouement
The Pattern
Exposition: does not further plot but is essential
information for reader
Inciting incident: starts cause and effect chain
Rising action: continues cause and effect chain
Climax: elements of story should have inevitably
led here.
Resolution and denouement: caused by
preceding events, but don’t lead to outside
incidents
The Pattern
Must be “unified”
No deus ex machina
Aristotle didn’t like episodic plots
Some more Greek terms
A complex plot is better because they have:
Peripeteia: reversal of fortune
Anagnorisis: turn upon surprise--change from
ignorance or knowledge.
This leads to
Catastrophe
Catharsis
The other “principles”
Character
Diction
Theme
Melody
Spectacle
Conflict
Person vs person
Person vs society
Person vs self
Person vs nature
Person vs fate (God)
Character
Protagonist vs hero
Dynamic
Static
Flat
Round
Foil
Theme
Statement
General but not too general
Should account for all major details
Avoid sweeping generalizations.
No clichés
Helpful to mention topic title and author in a
theme statement