What is "poetics"

Poetics \Po*et"ics\, n. [Cf. F. po['e]tique, L. po["e]tica, po["e]tice, Gr. ? (sc. ?.] The principles and rules of the art of poetry.
--J. Warton.

n. (context philosophy literature English) The theory of poetry, or of literature in general

n. study of poetic works

Aristotle's Poetics (, ; c. 335 BCE) is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory.

In it, Aristotle offers an account of what he calls "poetry" (a term which in Greek literally means "making" and in this context includes drama— comedy, tragedy, and the satyr play—as well as lyric poetry and epic poetry). They are similar in the fact that they are all imitations but different in the three ways that Aristotle describes:

1. Differences in music rhythm, harmony, meter and melody.
2. Difference of goodness in the characters.
3. Difference in how the narrative is presented: telling a story or acting it out.

In examining its "first principles", Aristotle finds two: 1) imitation and 2) genres and other concepts by which that of truth is applied/revealed in the poesis. His analysis of tragedy constitutes the core of the discussion. Although Aristotle's Poetics is universally acknowledged in the Western critical tradition, "almost every detail about his seminal work has aroused divergent opinions".

The work was lost to the Western world for a long time. It was available in the Middle Ages and early Renaissance only through a Latin translation of an Arabic version written by Averroes.

Poetics is the theory of literary forms and literary discourse. It may refer specifically to the theory of poetry, although some speakers use the term so broadly as to denote the concept of "theory" itself.

Poetics is the sixth studio album by the Mexican alternative rock band Panda, following Sinfonía Soledad and preceding Bonanza.

Poetics is the theory of literary discourse.

Poetics may also refer to:

• Poetics (album), a 2009 pop punk album
• Poetics (Aristotle), the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory

Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of poetics and the empirical study of literature. The editors-in-chief are Shyon Baumann ( University of Toronto) and Marc Verboord ( Erasmus University Rotterdam). It is published by Elsevier and was established in 1971. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 1.293.