aristotles poetics
in this sustained interpretation stephen halliwell demonstrates that the poetics despite its laconic brevity contains a coherent statement of mimetic art in general . he assesses this theory against the background of earlier greek views on poetry and art particularly plato s ; and he goes further than many previous authors in setting aristotle s ideas in the wider context of his philosophical system . the core of the book is an appraisal of aristotle s view of tragic drama in which professor halliwell contends that at the heart of the poetics lies a philosophical urge to work out a secularised understanding of greek tragedy .