The Arte of English Poesie

by George Puttenham

Published in 1589, The Arte of English Poesie can be considered the first full-scale work of poetic criticism in England―“a noble monument,” in Professor Hathaway’s words, “astraddle the rude beginnings of the speculative aspects of English literary culture.”  Its three main parts are a treatise on poets and poetry, an analysis of English prosody, and a discussion of rhetorical ornamentation―all treated compactly and thoroughly.  While little of its thought was strikingly new for its time, since it drew on traditions going back through the Middle Ages to classical roots, its value lay in its synthesis of these ideas and its summation of an aesthetic movement.  As such it provides important insights into the aesthetic philosophy of the English Renaissance.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Criticism, Literary Criticism

333 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1589

About the author

English writer and literary critic. Born c. 1520—died autumn 1590, London.
Little is definitely known of his early life. His mother was the sister of Sir Thomas Elyot; his sister married Sir John Throckmorton; and by his own marriage (c. 1560) to Lady Elizabeth Windsor he was connected with other wealthy and influential families. Perhaps educated abroad, he visited Flanders and other countries between 1563 and 1578. He had matriculated at Cambridge in 1546 and was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1556. Throckmorton paid his debts and rescued him from prison in 1569, when he was charged with conspiring to murder the Calvinist bishop of London, and in 1570, when he criticized the queen’s counselors too freely.

Reviews

[emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The folks at Cornell have done a marvelous job with this critical edition. Puttenham is chock full of obscure references, archaic language, and polylinguistic quotations. All of these are carefully navigated with an assortment of notes and a lengthy introduction (which is more entertaining than it has any right to be.)

As for Puttenham's text itself, the first two volumes are much more interesting than the third--which is essentially a long list of rhetorical figures, interesting only for the many verse quotations (often from lost manuscripts) and Puttenham's occasional parables, some of which are witty, most of which are dull. Readers looking for an Art of English Poetry from the era would probably be better off with Sir Philip Sidney's Defense. But if you're crazy enough, Puttenham is a neat curiosity.

[Yiting Zhou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aye, this is the most boring book I've ever read in the past 2 years or so. Like a foot-binding cloth, long and odorous. Sorry Puttenham I don't usually say harsh words but this is unbearable.

This might be of interest for scholarly research esp in rhetorics though.

[WILLIAM SEATON]

My essay on "Dialectical Rhetoric in Puttenham’s Arte of English Poesie" is posted on the Poetry on the Loose site at https://williamseaton.blogspot.com/20....

[Francisca · Rating 1 out of 5]

god, this was awful and i'm glad that it's over

[ellen spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

snoozefest

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the renaissance idea of the poet and poetry, but not one I, or any modern reader (I suspect) can agree with.

[poppy · Rating 1 out of 5]

lets be real this book is pointless

[dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

You would never know from reading this that this dude abducted and r*ped a girl for three years

[Marin Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro was stressing his point but I get it. will probably be good for future reference

[Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the first book in the history of English literature to be written on the subject of poetics and prosodics. For its time it was exhaustive. Anyone interested in English language poetry, in how it may be composed and in its history, should have this book on his or her shelf.George Puttenham

[Will Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insane schematics of rhetoric - pretty much textbook-ready even today. Very interesting approach to language theory. And an ideal edition.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent new edition of an indispensable book.