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AnApologyforPoetry
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

PhilipSidneywroteAnApologyforPoetry(or,TheDefenceof
Poesy)inapproximately1579,anditwaspublishedin1595,
afterhisdeath.

Thisisgenerallybelievedthathewasatleastpartlymotivatedby
StephenGosson,aformerplaywrightwhodedicatedhisattack
ontheEnglishstage,TheSchoolofAbuse,toSidneyin1579,but
Sidneyprimarilyaddressesmoregeneralobjectionstopoetry,
suchasthoseofPlato.Inhisessay,Sidneyintegratesanumber
ofclassicalandItalianpreceptsonfiction.Theessenceofhis
defenseisthatpoetry,bycombiningthelivelinessofhistorywith
theethicalfocusofphilosophy,ismoreeffectivethaneither
historyorphilosophyinrousingitsreaderstovirtue.Thework
alsooffersimportantcommentsonEdmundSpenserandthe
Elizabethanstage.

Contents Sidney

1Influence
2Significance
3Sidney'smethod
4Notes
5References

Influence
SirPhilipSidneysinfluencecanbeseenthroughoutthesubsequenthistoryofEnglishliterarycriticism.
Oneofthemostimportantexamplesisintheworkofthepoetandcritic,PercyByssheShelley.
ShelleysmodernargumentforpoetryiscastinaRomanticstraininhiscriticalworktitledADefenceof
Poetry.In1858,WilliamStigant,aCambridgeeducatedtranslator,poetandessayist,writesinhisessay
"SirPhilipSidney"[1]thatShelley's"beautifullywrittenDefenceofPoetry"isaworkwhich"analyses
theveryinneressenceofpoetryandthereasonofitsexistence,itsdevelopmentfrom,andoperation
on,themindofman".ShelleywritesinDefencethatwhile"ethicalsciencearrangestheelementswhich
poetryhascreated,"andleadstoamoralcivillife,poetryactsinawaythat"awakensandenlargesthe
minditselfbyrenderingitthereceptacleofathousandunapprehendedcombinationsofthought".

Sidneysinfluenceonfuturewriterscouldalsobeanalyzedfromthestandpointofhishandlingofthe
utilitarianviewpoint.TheutilitarianviewofrhetoriccanbetracedfromSophists,JosephJustusScaliger,
PetrusRamusandhumaniststoSidney.Forinstance,Sidney,followingAristotle,writesthatpraxis
(humanaction)istantamounttognosis(knowledge).Mendrawntomusic,astronomy,philosophyand
soforthalldirectthemselvesto"thehighestendofthemistressknowledge,bytheGreekscalled
architectonike[literally,"oforforamasterbuilder"],whichstands,asIthink,intheknowledgeofa
mansself,intheethicandpoliticconsideration,withtheendofwelldoing,andnotofwellknowing
only".Sidneysprogramofliteraryreformconcernstheconnectionbetweenartandvirtue.Oneofthe
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themesoftheApologyistheinsufficiencyofsimplypresentingvirtueasapreceptthepoetmustmove
mentovirtuousaction.Poetrycanleadtovirtuousaction.Actionrelatestoexperience.FromSidney,the
utilitarianviewofrhetoriccanbetracedtoColeridge'scriticism,andforinstance,tothereactiontothe
Enlightenment.Coleridge'sbrieftreatiseOnPoesyorArtsetsforthatheoryofimitationwhichbearsa
remarkableresemblancetothatofSidney.

ThecontemporaryimpactofSidneysApologyislargelyderivativeofthehumanisticpreceptsthat
informthework,anditslinkageoftherhetoricalwiththecivicvirtueofprudence.Prudenceoffersa
middlegroundbetweentwoextremes.Prudence,asavirtue,placesagreatervalueonpraxisthangnosis.
Actionisthusmoreimportantthanabstractknowledge.Itdealswiththequestionofhowtocombine
stabilitywithinnovation

Sidneysinfluenceonfuturecriticsandpoetsrelatesmorecloselytohisviewoftheplaceofpoetsin
society.Sidneydescribespoetryascreatingaseparatereality.TheRomanticnotion,asseenin
Wordsworth,isthatpoetryprivilegesperception,imaginationandmodesofunderstanding.Wordsworth
seekstogobacktonatureformomentsrecollectedintranquility.Sidney,likeShelleyandWordsworth,
seesthepoetasbeingseparatefromsociety.ToSidneythepoetisnottiedtoanysubjection.Hesawart
asequivalentto"skill,"aprofessiontobelearnedordeveloped,andnatureastheobjective,empirical
world.Thepoetcaninvent,andthusineffectgrowsanothernature.

Sidneywritesthatthereisnoartdeliveredtomankindthathathnottheworksofnatureforhisprincipal
object.Thepoetthendoesnotdepartfromexternalnature.Hisworksare"imitation"or"fiction,"made
ofthematerialsofnature,andareshapedbytheartist'svision.Thisvisionisonethatdemandsthe
reader'sawarenessoftheartofimitationcreatedthroughthe"maker,"thepoet.Sidney'snotionof"fore
conceit"meansthataconceptionoftheworkmustexistinthepoet'smindbeforeitiswritten.Freefrom
thelimitationsofnature,andindependentfromnature,poetryiscapableof"makingthingseitherbetter
thanNaturebringethforth,or,quiteanew,formssuchasneverwereinNature".

Sidneysdoctrinepresentsthepoetascreator.Thepoetsmediatingrolebetweentwoworlds
transcendentformsandhistoricalactualitycorrespondstotheNeoplatonicdoctrineofemanation.A
complementtothisdoctrineistheconceptofreturnorcatharsis,whichfindsaparallelinSidneys
contemplationofvirtue,basedonmansrationaldesire.Apologycontainsonlyelementsof
Neoplatonismwithoutadheringtothefulldoctrine.

Thirdly,Sidneyimpliesatheoryofmetaphoriclanguageinhiswork.ArecurringmotifinApologyis
paintingorportraiture.Apologyapplieslanguageuseinawaysuggestiveofwhatisknowninmodern
literarytheoryassemiotics.Hiscentralpremise,aswasthatofSocratesinPlato'sTheRepublic,isthat
poetryisanartofimitation,thatisarepresenting,counterfeiting,orfiguringforthnotunlikea
speakingpicture.SidneypayshishomagetoAristotlealso.Yethedevelopshisownideaof
metaphoriclanguage,onethatitisbasedonananalogythroughuniversalcorrespondences.Sidneys
humanistpoeticsandhistendencytoharmonizedisparateextremestoseekmediationfind
expressioninpoeticworksbyJohnDonne.

ThelifeandwritingsofSirPhilipSidneyremainalegacy.In1819,ThomasCampbellconcludesthat
Sidney'slifewas"poetryinaction,"andthenin1858WilliamStigantwrotethat"Sidney'srealpoem
washislife,andhisteachingwashisexample".Sidney,theman,isapparenteverywhereinhisworks:a
studyofSidney'sworksisastudyoftheman.

Significance

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AnApologyforPoetryisoneofthemostimportantcontributionstoliterarytheorywritteninEnglish
duringtheRenaissance.Sidneyadvocatesaplaceforpoetrywithintheframeworkofanaristocratic
state,whileshowingconcernforbothliteraryandnationalidentity.SidneyrespondsinApologytoan
emergingantipathytopoetryasexpressedinStephenGossonsTheSchooleofAbuse.Gossonoffers
whatisinessenceanattackonimaginativeliterature(Griffiths5).WhatisatstakeinSidneysargument
isadefenseofpoetrysnobility.Thesignificanceofthenobilityofpoetryisitspowertomovereaders
tovirtuousaction.TruepoetsmustteachanddelightaviewthatdatesbacktoHorace.

Inaneraofantipathytopoetryandpuritanicalbeliefinthecorruptionengenderedbyliterature,Sidneys
defensewasasignificantcontributiontothegenreofliterarycriticism.ItwasEnglandsfirst
philosophicaldefenseinwhichhedescribespoetrysancientandindispensableplaceinsociety,its
mimeticnature,anditsethicalfunction.AmongSidneysgiftstohiscontemporarieswerehisrespectfor
traditionandwillingnesstoexperiment.AnexampleofthelatterishisapproachtoPlato.He
reconfiguresPlatosargumentagainstpoetsbysayingpoetsare"theleastliar."Poetsneverclaimto
knowthetruth,normakecirclesaroundyourimagination,norrelyonauthority.Asanexpressionofa
culturalattitudedescendingfromAristotle,Sidney,whenstatingthatthepoet"neveraffirmeth,"makes
theclaimthatallstatementsinliteraturearehypotheticalorpseudostatements.Sidney,asa
traditionalist,however,givesattentiontodramaincontradistinctiontopoetry.Drama,writesSidney,is
observingneitherrulesofhonestcivilitynorofskillfulpoetryandthuscannotdojusticetothisgenre.

InSidney'sdayantitheatricality,anaestheticandideologicalconcern,flourishedamongSidneyscircle
atcourt.Theatrebecameacontentiousissueinpartbecauseoftheculminationofagrowingcontempt
forthevaluesoftheemergentconsumerculture.Anexpandingmoneyeconomyencouragedsocial
mobility.Europe,atthistime,haditsfirstencounterwithinflation.London'stheatresatthattimegrew
inpopularitysomuchthatby1605,despitetheintroductionofcharges,Londoncommercialtheatres
couldaccommodateuptoeightthousandmenandwomen.Sidneyhadhisownviewsondrama.In
Apology,heshowsoppositiontothecurrentofhisdaythatpayslittleattentiontounityofplacein
drama,butmorespecifically,hisconcerniswiththe"manner"thatthe"matter"isconveyed.He
explainsthattragedyisnotboundtohistoryorthenarrativebutto"lawsofpoesy,"having"liberty,
eithertofeignaquitenewmatter,ortoframethehistorytothemosttragicalconveniency."

Sidneyemploysanumberofstrategiestoasserttheproperplaceofpoetry.Forinstance,heargues
againstthewayinwhichpoetrywasmisalignedwithyouth,theeffeminateandthetimorous.Hedoesso
byintroducingtheideathatpoetryisthecompanionofcampsandbyinvokingtheheroesofagespast.
Sidneysreverenceforthepoetassoldierissignificantbecausehehimselfwasasoldieratonetime.
Poetry,inApology,becomesanartthatrequiresthenoblestirringofcourage.

SidneywritesAnApologyforPoetryintheformofajudicialorationforthedefense,andthusitislikea
trialinstructure.Crucialtohisdefenseisthedescriptivediscourseandtheideathatpoetrycreatesa
separatereality.Sidneyemploysforensicrhetoricasatooltomaketheargumentthatpoetrynotonly
conveysaseparatereality,butthatithasalongandvenerablehistory,anditdoesnotlie.Itisdefensible
initsownrightasameanstomovereaderstovirtuousaction.

Sidney'smethod
CensorshipisoneissueSidneyhadtoovercomethroughhisuseofrhetoricaldevicesintheApology.
Sidneywasalsoversedinthephenomenonofcourtiership.Aspartofhisstrategyagainstthethreatof
censorship,Sidneyusesthestructureofclassicalorationwithitsconventionaldivisionssuchas
exordiumandperoratio.Sidney'suseofclassicalorationstemsfromhishumanisteducation(Harvey1).
Heusesthismethodtobuildhisargument,bymakinguseoftherhetoricalmethodsinsuchguidesas
ThomasWilsonsArteofRhetorique(1553)(Harvey2).Sidneyalsousesmetaphorandallegory,to

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concealandrevealhisposition.Forinstance,hisuseofhorsemanshipasimageryandanalogy
substantiateshisvisionofthetransformationalpowerofpoetry.Sidney,asauthor,entershiswork
undetectedinthattheetymologyofhisnamePhilipishorselover(Pask7).Fromtheopening
discourseonhorsemanship,Sidneyexpandsonthehorseandsaddlemetaphorthroughouthisworkby
theenlargingofaconceit(Leitch333).ItisSidneywhothenguardsagainstafallingoutwiththe
poetwhippers(Leitch346).Sidneyalsoattendstotherhetoricalconceptofmemory.Poetry,apart
fromitsabilitytodelight,hasanaffinitywithmemory(Leitch347).

MethodandstylearethuskeycomponentsoftheApologytoovercometheproblemofcensorship.For
thisreason,Sidneyconsciouslydefendsfiction,andheattackstheprivilegethatisaccordedtofact.
Hearguesthatthepoetmakesnoliteralclaimsoftruth,isundernoillusions,andthuscreatesstatements
thatareinasensefictionalandastrueasanyothers(Bear5).Whatisatstakethenisnotonlythe
valueofpoetryinthesenseofitsutility,butalsoitsplaceinaworldrepletewithstrife,thecontingent
andtheprovisional.

Notes
1. Stignant,"SirPhilipSidney"inCambridgeEssays.

References
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