Write an essay on Sidneys conception of poetry as revealed in An

Apology for Poetry.

Ans-Sidney had in his mind an exalted conception of poetry which

found eloquent expression in An Apology for Poetry. He wrote
this celebrated essays in 1580 as a retort to the blistering attack
made by Stephen Gosson on poetry and the poets in his School
of Abuse in 1579 and dedicated it to Sidney. Sidney refuted the
arguments advanced by Gosson and defended his exalted view of
poetry in this essay.

The definition of poetry which Sidney advances is

obviously Aristotelian, but the Horatian overtone is no less
palpable.

Poesy therefore is an art of imitation, for so Aristotle

termeth 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.
 Here Sidney accepts Aristotles definition of poetry as mimesis
and understand its true implication which is not exact
reproduction but figuring forth, i.e., giving figure (=Form) to
things, the form being an imitation or imaginative representation
or counterpart of the original. By representing, counterfeiting of
figuring forth Sidney seems to suggest that the poet is a painter
rather than a photographer. No sooner has he explained the
Aristotelian sense of mimesis then he hastens to mention the
poets purpose to teach and delight. Sidney repeats the phrase
to teach and delight forty-three lines later to invert it as to
delight and teach. A little later he sums it up in a phrase as
delightful teaching to know a poet by. In his definition of poetry
Sidney seems to have combined Aristotle and Horace.

The phrase speaking picture, used by Sidney in his

definition of poetry, is reminiscent of poets. Though the
comparison of poetry with painting goes back to Plato and
Aristotle and is found in other classical and non-classical writers. Its
wide currency is owing to Horaces popular and terse expression;
ut pictura poesis. Sidney here subscribes to Horacian view of
poetry as again ut picture poesis (as in painting so in poetry).
 Sidney is more or less traditional in his
classification of poetry. In An Apology for Poetry he refers to three
general kinds- the sacred poetry (oldest, highest, and holiest),
philosophical or didactic poetry and right poetry or pure poetry
where we have an imaginative treatment of life. The poets who
write first kind of poetry are restricted or shackled by their
theology. The second group of poets are also circumscribed in so
far as they have to depend for their material on external sources
such as the sciences. Here the poets are compelled to follow the
subject matter slavishly and they do not have the scope to write
looking into their heart. So we do not find here free play of
creative imagination in these two category of poets. The third
group of poets are the real makers since they can give a free rein
to their esemplastic faculty of imagination. Sidney also emphasises
the educative value of poetry:

For these indeed do merely make to imitate, and imitate

both to delight and teach: and delight to move men to take that
goodness in hand, which without delight they would fly as from a
stranger; and teach, to make them know that goodness whereunto
they are moved
 Thus Sidney tries primarily to uphold the moral
value of poetry against an invidious invective. Moreover, Sidneys
moral approach should be judged by the standard of his own age
in which the formula of art for arts sake was simply unthinkable.
Again can we really deny the fact that the influence of all great
and mimetic art is morally beneficial to mankind?

Sidney emphatically states it is not rhyming

and versing that maketh a poet- no more than a long gown
maketh an advocate. Verse, to Sidney, is but an ornament and
no cause to poetry. Poetry may also be classified according to
metrical patterns but this is to impose a meaningless limitation on
poetry which even an ancient critic like Aristotle could hardly
approved of . Sidney regarded verse as adventitious and not
essential to poetry and in this he was followed by Milton,
Wordsworth and Shelley. So verse is nothing more than the outer
clothing of poetry. Poetry need not necessarily be written in a
metrical language. But when we look at Sidneys own poetry we
find he always wrote in a metrical language and was fully aware of
the value of verse in poetry. He noted that poets had chosen verse
as their fittest raiment-a form of expression which helped them to
speak in a suitably dignified manner and not loosely in table-talk
fashion or like men in a dream. But Coleridge differs with them
and considers verse as an integral part of poetry. Criticizing
Sidneys view on verse J.W.H Atkins points out that Sidneys
description of verse as an added ornament fails to suggests its
organic character and the vital relation existing between poetic
thought and rhythmical expression