Introduction to the Ars Poetica

‘The Ars Poetica’ written by Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) is one of the greatest works of literary criticism. It is entirely written in verse. The Ars Poetica is an address by Horace to a father and his two sons on the matters of poetry. It’s main subject matter is poetry, poetic style and drama. Horace had compiled his work on the footsteps of Aristotle. He asks the people to devote themselves to Greek art and culture and ponder it day and night if they want to succeed in the literary world. Horace’s work had limited impact on the Romans of his time because they were much engrossed in their literary decadence. However it’s influence on the future generations has been immense. The Ars Poetica played a vital role in the Restoration period and in the eighteenth century and it’s significance is familiar to all the students of English Literature. The reason of its success is that it has given reasonable solution to the various stock topics of criticism. The stand out quality of Horace was that he was completely against any lapse or error in a literary work and he always strived for perfection.
The entire ‘Ars Poetica’ is written in hexameter and is addressed to a certain Lucius Calpurnius Piso. The work belongs to the last few years of Horace’s life. There is a lot of description about tragedy and the satire play in the Ars Poetica which seems to prove that a deliberate attempt has been made to revive the Roman drama. There is little in the Ars Poetica which Horace has taken from others and most of it is based on his own personal experiences. The chief topics covered by Horace are : artistic unity, style and vocabulary, meter and the genres, genius and art, the uselessness of mediocrity and the need for taking infinite pains. The Ars Poetica is the only piece of literary work written by one who himself was a great poet. It’s popularity in the seventeenth and eighteenth century was immense.
Augustus's conviction that Horace’s Ars Poetica will become immortal has been justified through centuries. It has been translated in various languages and is still imitated by the literary critics and scholars. The success of Ars Poetica rests on three principle sources. (i) It displays Horace’s personality and his frankness, clarity, sanity tinged with melancholy which makes him appear as a friend. This characteristic of Horace made him different from the other poets of his time. (ii) It showcases Horace’s truthfulness and in spite of lacking in profundity of thought, his deep insight on the common topics of human life makes him interesting. (iii) It charms the readers because of the perfection of form implied by Horace. He avoids the various elaborations and tries to give allusive touch to his work which is more comforting to the weary ears. These qualities of the Ars Poetica make it a remarkable work of criticism.
 Horace has given his views on the greatness of a poem. People like to ask weather a great poem is achieved naturally or it is a work of art. Horace believes that book learning without any inspiration cannot lead to the creation of a great poem. Similarly an inspired mind lacking genius will also lead to failure. There must be a balance and both genius and craft are equally essential in order to compose a great poem.