The Poetics of Aristotle: Translation and Commentary Paperback – November 30, 1987

I ordered this particular translation of the Poetics for a two-person reading group. The other member recommended it for the translation and this being my first reading of the whole text I was happy to go along. In the end it was a fine choice for the translation, but the commentary comes along with it and I couldn't leave it out of my review completely.First, the translation:No nits to pick here. It is very clear and readable. This isn't Aristotle at his most refined, but the translation should be accesible to anyone with the interest in reading it. Halliwell hasn't shied away from the overtly normative language that permeates the text, nor has he attempted to inject more structure or content than the text can bear.Given that the commentary is (apparently) geared to folks with an interest in contemporary aesthetics, it is nice to see that Halliwell has not colored the text in a way that might be more palatable to the contemporary aesthetician. A few passages sent me scrambling for the OCT, but I always ended up happy with Halliwell's rendering.Two notes: 1) Halliwell has opted for "mimesis" and "mimetic" throughout. This is a case of a philosophical concept in transliteration rather than translation, but probably ought to be. This choice, and a few others, make the text more appropriate for the academically minded, though the Poetics might not be leisurely reading anyhow...and 2) Halliwell's translation does not include Bekker pages nor numbers. Chapter breaks are included but are of limited usefulness for reference to the OCT, etc.Then, the commentary:I should admit that I am not the target audience for Halliwell's commentary. I would be an embarrassingly bad classicist, if I were to claim to be one...and I am not independently interested in contemporary aesthetics. That being the case, the commentary might be quite useful for other readers. Halliwell raises interesting points quite often and points up tensions in Aristotle's view writ large, but often misses the trees for the forest. Late in the book, admittedly where the lack of book II is most glaring, Aristotle introduces new machinery or recalls distinctions hastily made. Halliwell is silent here, perhaps because he just isn't interested in this fine-grained a reading...but that seems like just what a commentary ought to be interested in. One major issue is that the commentary occasionally reads like an argumentative essay - an argument for Halliwell's reading - but doesn't seem particularly well argued. Early assumptions are taken for granted in later chapters, etc.Since I am almost positive that Halliwell has other folks in mind, and since my interests might be especially idiosyncratic anyway, I have tried not to let my thoughts on the commentary cloud the overall review...The bottom line: if you're looking for just a translation of the Poetics, this won't disappoint. I can't compare it directly to other translations, but it is accesible and I didn't find much to quibble with when I turned to the OCT. The commentary isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, a concentrated analysis of the philosophical framework on offer. It is an interesting essay on the development of aesthetics, the bridge between Aristotle and contemporary thinkers, and is probably quite full of material that would interest classicists and aestheticians. I can't really fault the commentary for having a different aim than I had hoped, and one need not refer to it besides.For the student of Aristotle, someone interested in aesthetics and wanting to read this foundational treatise, or someone interested in the history of philosophy (or thinking in general), I think this translation will certainly meet your needs.

Aristotle might be old, but not outdated. Excellent accompaniment for anyone interested in Greek drama.