2. Sidney's critical treatise was written about 1580 but not
published until 1595, after his death, when two separate
editions were published under different titles, 'An Apology for
Poetry' and 'The Defence of Poesy'.
The Apology ( meaning 'explanation' rather than 'excuse') is
scarcely original in anything it says (most of the key ideas are
taken from Plato, Aristotle and Horace) but owes its
significance to its timing and its spirited style.
It is said that he wrote the Apology in response to a work which
had been dedicated to him, attacking poetry and plays; the
author of this book is Stephen Gosson.
3. 'Poesy', says Sidney, "is an art of imitation, for so Aristotle
terms it in his word MIMESIS, that is to say, a representing,
counterfeiting, or figuring forth; to speak metaphorically, a
speaking picture, with this end, to teach and delight. '
Poetry does not offer a literal description of reality, it offers
rather a heightened version of reality.
Sidney compares poetry favourably with history and philosophy.
He finds history is too tied to particular facts, while philosophy
is too abstract and obscure, but the poet is ideal
The essence of his defence is that poetry, by combining the
liveliness of history with the ethical focus of philosophy, is more
effective than either history or philosophy in rousing its readers
to virtue.
4. One of the themes of the Apology is the insufficiency
of simply presenting virtue as a percept; the poet must
move men to virtuous action
To Sidney the poet is not tied to any subjection. He
saw art as equivalent to "skill", a profession to be
learned or developed.
He reconfigures Plato's argument against poets by
saying poets are "the least lier". Poets never claim to
know the truth, nor "make circles around your
imagination", "nor rely on authority".
