“ It is Homer who has chiefly taught other poets the art of telling lies skilfully. ”
Aristotle, Poetics (c. 335 BC). copy citation
| Author | Aristotle |
|---|---|
| Source | Poetics |
| Topic | lies art poetry |
| Date | c. 335 BC |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by S. H. Butcher |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1974/1974-h/1974-h.htm |
Context
“But in the Epic poem the absurdity passes unnoticed. Now the wonderful is pleasing: as may be inferred from the fact that every one tells a story with some addition of his own, knowing that his hearers like it. It is Homer who has chiefly taught other poets the art of telling lies skilfully. The secret of it lies in a fallacy, For, assuming that if one thing is or becomes, a second is or becomes, men imagine that, if the second is, the first likewise is or becomes. But this is a false inference.”
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Meaning and analysis
