That Aristotle’s survey of human expression included a _Poetic_ as well as a _Rhetoric_ is our chief witness to a division[6] oftener implied in ancient criticism than stated explicitly. Rhetoric meant to the ancient world the art of instructing and moving men in their affairs; poetic the art of sharpening and expanding their vision. To borrow a French phrase,[7] the one is composition of ideas; the other, composition of images. In the one field life is discussed; in the other it is presented. The type of the one is a public address, moving us to assent and action; the type of the other is a play, showing us in action moving to an end of character. The one argues and urges; the other represents. Though both appeal to imagination, the method of rhetoric is logical; the method of poetic, as well as its detail, is imaginative. To put the contrast with broad simplicity, a speech moves by paragraphs; a play moves by scenes. A paragraph is a logical stage in a progress of ideas; a scene is an emotional stage in a progress controlled by imagination. Both rhetoric and poetic inculcate the art of progress; but the progress of poetic is distinct in kind. Its larger shaping is not controlled by considerations of _inventio_ and _dispositio_,[8] nor its detail by the cadences of the period.[9] In great part, though not altogether, it has its own technic. The technic of drama in Aristotle’s day was already mature and was actively developing. The technic of narrative, in epic derived from the great example of Homer, in “mime” and dialogue still experimental, was less definite. To set forth the whole technic, the principles of imaginative composition, in a single survey is the object of Aristotle’s _Poetic_. TABULAR VIEW OF THE _POETIC_ OF ARISTOTLE[10] _The first section moves from definition of poetic in general to the mode of drama_ (chapters i-v.) Chapter I. The art of poetry A. is one of the arts that imitate men in action 1. belonging with instrumental music and dancing ii a. as using rhythm and melody besides words B. has two typical modes iii 1. narrative 2. drama a. tragedy b. comedy C. developed historically iv 1. from the instincts of imitation and rhythm 2. toward a. idealizing what men may be (1) as in epic and tragedy b. satirizing what men are (1) as in lampoons and comedy c. differentiation of form (1) drama tending toward unity of plot v (a) through the successive improvements of Æschylus and Sophocles (2) but keeping variety in verse. _The second section discusses plot as the mainspring of tragedy_ (chapters vi-xviii)