Ars Poetica

Horace wrote in a time when poetry and drama were the primary forms of entertainment. Consider the current intersection of visual, aural, and narrative storytelling in mediums like film, television, and social media. Given the views expressed in Ars Poetica, how might Horace advise writers in these mediums?

Horace’s verse epistle makes little mention of religion, aside from some references to mythology. Why might Horace have omitted discussion of religious works of art, like scripture and myth?

Describe Horace’s position on the importance of natural talent and disciplined training. Does he favor one over the other? Use textual evidence.

Ars Poetica was written as a letter of advice to the patron, Piso, and his boys, who aspired to become poets. Yet, the advice Horace gives involves years of disciplined study and knowledge of an abundant classical canon of literature. Given Horace’s honesty about the demands of a poetic career, is his advice encouraging or discouraging?

Most English translations of Ars Poetica are written in prose, even though Horace originally wrote the epistle in hexameter verse. Do you think that reading in prose takes away from the artistry? What rhetorical effects do you imagine are removed when translating the work from verse to prose?

Explain Horace’s theory that poetry instructs and/or delights its readers. Do you agree with this statement? Can poetry do something beyond teaching and pleasing its readers?

Do you consider Horace a mimetic, expressivist, or rhetorical poet? Is he able to incorporate all three into his poetry? How so?

Describe Horace’s theory of knowledge. What are his theories about wisdom and instruction? Can we identify a Horatian epistemology, or philosophy of knowledge, from the Ars Poetica?