An Apology for Poetry

An Apology for Poetry by Sir Philip Sidney

133 pp. paper $16.99

Lovers of poetry today will hear the complaint Sir Philip Sidney made about the status of poetry in 1595 and recognize something that could have been written yesterday. He called poetry a craft “which, from almost the highest estimation of learning, is fallen to be the laughing-stock of children.” Much like our era, the late sixteenth century tended to consider poetry to be narrow and frivolous. In our day, science and technology are considered to be the most worthwhile disciplines; in Sidney’s day, it was history and philosophy. Sidney’s response to his contemporaries’ disdain for poetry unfolds like a legal defense of the art against allegations of deception and dissolution. He argues that, if done well, poetry does have pragmatic ends. Following the Platonic tradition, he argues that poetry can inspire readers to lead virtuous lives in the real world. He is particularly concerned to distinguish mytho-poetic literature like the works of Homer and Dante, which captured an over-arching vision of the world and the cosmos, from those of mere “poet-apes” who trade in trivialities and word-play. Only the former can inspire readers to live truly great lives.