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Superiority of Poetry:
Poetry is compared with philosophy and
history and other branches of learning
Philosophy teaches with perception
History teaches with example
Poetry does both
Philosophy cant be understood by
everyone but poetry is for all kinds of reader
Historian is compelled to record everything
but poet is free from any limitation of writing

Sidneys answer to Gossons charges:

Poetry is better than any other branches
of knowledge
Poets never confirm anything, so they
cant be liars
Misuse of poetic power can abuse human
mind, not true poetry
Plato is the patron of poetry, not
adversary

Johnsons idea about Neo

classical criticism:
Dead writers should be praised and
living writers can be criticised

Criticism should be comparative

Critic should be studious
Representation of general human
nature should be judged
Purpose of writing should be
instruction with pleasure

Demerits of Shakespeare
to Johnson
No poetic justice
Hasty plot
No regard to distinction of time and place
Comedies are spontaneous
Tragedies are more labouraous
Long declamatory speeches
Emphasize on trivial incidents
The feeling of pity and fear suddenly lose
its intensity
Quibble

Causes behind textual

Corruption of
Shakespeare
Shakespeare didnt even think about his
works further popularity
He was indifferent to name and fame
The greater part of his work were
unpublished till about seven years after his
death
The style of Shakespeare was itself
ungrammatical, perplexed, and obscure
Those who copied and transmitted his works
were equally unskillful and the errors have
multiplied day by day
Sometimes the actors also mutilated the
text for the sake of shortening the speeches,
and therefore printed without any press

For the
Editors
Editing
should be
Illustrative
(explanation
of
difficulties)
Judicial
( remark
faults and
beauties )
Emendatory
(correction

For the Readers

Readers of Shakespeare needs
toAvoid notes as they are necessary
evils
Read every play from firs scene to last
neglecting all his commentators
Read through obscurity and
brightness of the text
Preserve the interest of dialogue and
story comprehensively
Feel and understand the pleasure of
Shakespeares novelty completely and
then read the commentators