This lecture discusses the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle' work, the Poetics, focusing on the different modes of what Aristotle calls "recognition" (anagnōrisis), one of the key features of good plots in tragedy. He writes:

"The definition of recognition was stated earlier. As for its kinds, first is the least artistic and the one used the most from uninventiveness: recognition through tokens....The second kind are those contrived by the poet, and hence inartistic. ... The third kind is through memory, when the sight of something brings awareness...Fourth is recognition by reasoning ­. . .There is also compound recognition which depends on the audience's mistaken reasoning... Best of all is recogni­tion ensuing from the events themselves, where the emo­tional impact comes from a probable sequence."

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Broadcast on:

29 Jan 2024