Aristotle Poetics 26.13

Thomas Twining (Translator)

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Farther-there is less unity in all Epic imitation; as appears from this-that any Epic Poem will furnish matter for several Tragedies. For, supposing the Poet to chuse a fable strictly one, the consequence must be, either, that his Poem, if proportionably contracted, will appear curtailed and defective, or, if extended to the usual length, will become weak, and, as it were, diluted. If, on the other hand, we suppose him to employ several fables-that is, a fable composed of several actions 1 -his imitation is no longer strictly one.

Poetics. Aristotle. Thomas Twining (Translator). London, UK. 1789.

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Current edition Experimental

Poetics (Thomas Twining, 1789) (OCR draft) (English) (Thomas Twining's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1789 and aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Translations (3)
The Poetic of Aristotle (Henry James Pye, revised 1792) (OCR draft) Experimental (Henry James Pye's revised 1792 English translation, corrected against the 1788 first edition, aligned to the Kassel reference edition, and supplied with a selective apparatus of substantive 1788 readings.) — 26.13 focus
It may further be added, that the epic imitation has less unity, since there is no epic poem that cannot furnish subjects for several [I] tragedies. For should the fable be confined to one action, it would either appear trifling from its shortness, or, if it were spun out to the usual length of the epopee [K] it would be languid and insipid. But if it is variegated, I mean compounded of various actions, it must be deficient in point of unity.
The Poetic of Aristotle (Theodore Alois Buckley) (OCR draft) Experimental (Theodore Alois Buckley's English translation, first published in 1850 and represented from the Henry G. Bohn 1857 printing; corrected against a second OCR and aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.) — 26.13 focus
Hence, if he who writes an epic poem should choose a fable perfectly one, the poem would necessarily either appear short, as if curtailed, or if it should be accompanied with length of metre, it would seem to be languid5. But if he should compose one fable from many fables, I mean, if the poem should consist of many actions, it would not possess unity.
La poëtique d'Aristote (André Dacier, 1692) (OCR draft) Experimental (André Dacier's French translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1692.) — 26.13 focus
Enfin il n'y a point d'Epopée qui conſerve ſi parfaitement l'Unité, que la Tragedie, & une marque certaine de cela, c'eſt qu'on peut tirer pluſieurs ſujets de Tragedie de quelque Poëme Epique que ce ſoit. Que ſi pour éviter ce défaut un Poëte héroïque s'attachoit abſolument à un ſeul ſujet, comme le Poëte tragique, il arriveroit neceſſairement, ou que la brieveté de ſa matiére feroit paroître ſon Poëme eſtropié & imparfait, ou, s'il vouloit à quelque prix que ce fût remplir la juſte étendüe qu'on luy donne d'ordinaire, cette longueur denuée de matiére le rendroit lâche.

Notes on the current edition

Poetics

1. Compare Part II. Sect. 20, and Note 9.-Aristotle is not here speaking of that unconnected, historical multiplicity of action, which he had before condemned, [Part III. Sect. 1.] but of such as was essential to the nature of the Epic Poem. This is plain, from the example, which immediately follows; and, indeed, from the very drift of his argument.

Commentary

Commentary on the Poetics (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) (Ingram Bywater's English commentary on Aristotle's Poetics.) focus

8. mvp-aristotle-comment-1096

διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἀναγινώσκειν φανερὰ ὁποία τίς ἐστιν: comp. infra τὸ ἐναργὲς ἔχει καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων, and 6, 1450 b 18
ἡ γὰρ τῆς τραγῳδίας δύναμις καὶ ἄνευ ἀγῶνος καὶ ὑποκριτῶν ἔστιν.
 But though Aristotle draws a line between a tragedy 356 COMMENTARY 1462a12 as literature and its stage presentation ( comp. 14, 1453 b2 ), he has no idea of a reading as distinct from an acting tragedy; a tragedy with him is essentially something to be acted. The notion of a reading play has been found in Rhet. 3. 12, 1413 b 12 , in the use of the word ἀναγνωστικοί of Chaeremon and others. The term, however, merely denotes a fact of style; these writers were ἀναγνωστικοί because their language could be read by any one, not requiring any special arts of elocution to bring out the meaning ( comp. Demetrius De eloc. 193 ).

Remarques sur la poëtique d'Aristote (André Dacier, 1692) (OCR draft) (André Dacier's French commentary on Aristotle's Poetics.) focus

15. mvp-aristotle-comment-666

26.8 15. De plus la Tragedie fait ſon effeit ſeule & ſans tous ces mouvemens, auſſi-bien que l'Epopée ; car la ſimple lečture fait connoître ce qu'elle eft.] 1

Commentarius in Aristotelis Poeticam (Franciscus Ritter, 1839) (OCR draft) (Ritter's Latin commentary, extracted from the 1839 volume, divided by Ritter's chapters and sections, and linked to the corresponding Perseus reference subsections.) focus

3. mvp-aristotle-comment-206

Ritter, cap. 26 § 3

πρῶτον μὲν οὐ τῆς ποιητικῆς κτλ. tragoedia speciose adhuc accusata iam ita defenditur, ut primum ab illis accusatoribus non poeticam sed histrionum artem peti, deinde non quemcumque imitandi modum repudiandum esse doceatur. ἐπεὶ ἔστι περιεργάζεσθαι τοῖς σημείοις καὶ ῥαψῳδοῦντα: iniqua ista tragoediae accusatio eodem iure intendi potest in epopoeiam: nam carminis epici recitator ( ὁ ῥαψῳδός) et ipse modum excedere potest nimia manuum corporisque iactatione. rhapsodus σχήμασι (Tanz - Figuren) quidem non utitur, sed motibus simplicioribus gestibusque ( σημείοις) non minus egredi modum potest. ὅπερ ἐποίει Σωσίστρατος κτλ. proprium est huius scriptoris laudare auctores admodum obscuros. de Sosistrato nihil aliunde accepimus, neque de Mnasitheo Opuntio: illum poemata epica nimio cum gestu recitasse, hunc lyrica decantasse in certaminibus musicis ob hunclocum suspicari licet. pro priore ἐποίει codices qui memorantur omnes έστι praebent, quod ex versu antegresso forte huc delatum verbum genuinum et ab Aldo restitutum de sede sua deiecit. ceterum repetitum continuo ἐποίει nonnullam auctoris infantiam arguit. εἶτα οὐδὲ κίνησις - ὄρχησις: non id vitio verti tragoediae potest quod multo motu utitur, sed nonnisi motus et saltatio deteriorum vituperanda est. illa εἴπερ μηδ' ὄρχησις (si ne saltatio quidem omnis despicienda est) aetatem prodere videntur, cum saltatio obsolescere et contemni inciperet. - μιμουμένων: exspectamus μιμουμένοις, sed in conformanda oratione hic homo mira lascivia grassari solet. conf. c. 25, 18. οὐ πινόντων οἶνον. c. 26, 1. οὐκ αἰσθανο μένων. – διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἀναγινώσκειν φανερὰ ὁποία τις ἐστίν: hausta haec sunt ex loco male intellecto c. 14, 1. conf. Comment. in c. 14, 1. et in c. 6, 19. καὶ