41 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Aristotle held that the arts of poetry are all forms of imitation, and that they differ in their medium, their objects and their manner.
Aristotle argued that a writer is a poet for imitating well, not merely for writing in verse, so a medical treatise in verse does not make its author a poet.
Aristotle held that a work may show people as better than they are, as they are, or as worse, and that tragedy aims at the better while comedy aims at the worse.
Aristotle held that the instinct to imitate runs deep in people, and that we enjoy a faithful likeness because we learn from it and recognise what it shows.
Aristotle held that tragedy began as improvisation and grew by slow degrees, each new element developed in turn until it found its natural form.
Aristotle held that comedy shows a defect or ugliness that is not painful or destructive, which is why a comic mask can be distorted without implying pain.
Aristotle held that action springs from character and thought, so the plot, the arrangement of incidents, is the imitation of action on which success or failure depends.
Aristotle held that plot is the soul of a story and character comes second, since people are judged by what they do, and a well-built plot moves an audience more than fine speeches.
Aristotle held that the most beautiful colours laid on confusedly give less pleasure than a plain outline, so clear structure matters more than ornament.
Aristotle held that a well-made plot needs a beginning, a middle and an end, each following from what came before, so that it never starts or stops at haphazard.
Aristotle held that a story must be long enough to carry a change of fortune yet short enough to be held in the memory as one whole.
Aristotle held that a story's unity comes from one action rather than one hero, and that any part whose removal changes nothing does not belong to the whole.
Aristotle held that poetry is higher than history because it shows what may happen as a certain kind of person would act, so the writer is a maker of plots more than of verses.
Aristotle held that the worst plots are episodic, with events following one another without probable or necessary sequence, and that surprises work best when they also follow as cause and effect.
Aristotle held that the strongest moments come when a situation turns to its opposite, and when a character passes from ignorance to knowledge, most powerfully when both happen together.
Aristotle held that the most moving downfall belongs to a person who is not wholly good but falls through some error or frailty, since we pity unmerited misfortune and fear what could befall someone like us.
Aristotle held that a well-made story should turn on one change of fortune, from good to bad, caused by a great error rather than by vice.
Aristotle held that a plot should move its audience even when only heard, since relying on spectacle is a less artistic method that depends on outside aids.
Aristotle held that the most moving conflicts happen between people who are close, and that a writer should keep the familiar story but show invention in how it is handled.
Aristotle held that a harm nearly done and then averted through recognition makes the strongest scene, while a shocking act with no consequence is not truly tragic.
Aristotle held that a character should be good, fitting to their type, true to life and consistent, even when the model being portrayed is inconsistent.
Aristotle held that a story's resolution must grow out of the plot itself rather than from a convenient outside intervention, and that a flawed character's type should be kept but ennobled.
Aristotle ranked the ways of recognition, placing tokens and scars near the bottom and recognition that grows naturally from the incidents at the top.
Aristotle advises a writer to see the scene as if a spectator, since a vivid picture helps them catch what fits and any inconsistencies they would otherwise overlook.
Aristotle advises a writer to sketch the general outline of a story first, then fill in the episodes and detail.
Aristotle holds that the essence of a plot can be told briefly, and that every episode must be relevant to the action.
Aristotle advises a writer to combine as many poetic elements as possible, noting that many poets tie a knot well but unravel it poorly.
Aristotle held that a story suited to a long epic will fail on stage if squeezed into a play, and that the chorus should share in the action rather than sit as mere interlude.
Aristotle held that dramatic incidents should speak for themselves without verbal explanation, while speeches are used to prove points and stir feelings.
Aristotle explains metaphor as carrying a name across by analogy, and a good one reveals a likeness, such as calling evening the old age of the day.
Aristotle holds that good style is clear without being mean: plain words give clarity but can sink into the commonplace, while a touch of the unusual lifts language above it.
Aristotle holds that the greatest thing in writing is a command of metaphor, which cannot be taught by another and implies an eye for resemblances.
Aristotle holds that a narrative should have a single whole action with a beginning, middle and end, unlike a chronicle that lists events tending to no single result.
Aristotle observes that a narrative can carry many simultaneous events that add dignity, while a play must stay with one stage action, since sameness soon wearies an audience.
Aristotle admires a writer who speaks as little as possible in their own voice, bringing in characters who each have a character of their own.
Aristotle observes that audiences enjoy the wonderful, and that an absurdity which would look ridiculous on stage can pass unnoticed when it is told as a story.
Aristotle advises a writer to prefer a probable impossibility to an improbable possibility, and to keep irrational parts out of the action where possible.
Aristotle holds that a writer imitates things as they are, as people say they are, or as they ought to be, and that a flaw touching the essence of the craft matters more than a minor fact.
Aristotle warns that critics often judge a text against their own fancies, and advises weighing how many senses a word may bear before finding fault.
Aristotle holds that the impossible in a story is justified by the needs of the art, and that an ideal type may rightly surpass reality.
Aristotle argues that a concentrated work, achieving its effect within narrow limits, gives more pleasure than one spread out and diluted over a long time.
