THIS IS A STUDY OF THE SIGNIFICANCE AND SOCIAL FUNCTION OF TRAGIC POETRY AS UNDERSTOOD AND EXPLAINED BY ARISTOTLE IN HIS TREATISE «ON THE ART OF POETRY». LIKE OTHER WORKS OF THE PHILOSOPHER, THE «POETICS» IS AT THE SAME TIME DESCRIPTIVE AND PRESCRIPTIVE, HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL: IT DEALS WITH AN ART CREATED AND PRACTISED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN ATHENS IN THE FIFTH AND EARLIER FOURTH CENTURIES, ALTHOUGH IT WAS ADOPTED BY OTHER GREEKS IN THE SECOND PART OF THE FOURTH CENTURY, AND LATER SPREAD, ALONGSIDE THE GREEK LANGUAGE, ALL OVER THE HELLENISTIC WORLD TO BECOME THE MARK OF HELLENISTIC CULTURE IN THE CENTURIES FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF ARISTOTLE AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. (...)

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