Moral Criticism & Dramatic Construction
Even though these two are often discussed together, the only relationship between the two of them is that of opposition. Moral criticism begins with Plato's Republic, where he spends Book X chronicling a discussion of Socrates and his associates discussing the role of art in a perfect society. They decide that art only serves a purpose when it teaches "piety" and "virtue"--i.e. art, specifically literature, should teach positive morals to citizens--and Plato himself states that art only imitates nature, so it should imitate the best parts of it so it is not harmful. (Think of parables and fables, which we have discussed in class.)
Of course, Plato's position is controversial--and his student Aristotle, the author of Poetics, disagrees with him. Aristotle considered art's purpose, especially poetry and drama, to provide entertainment and enjoyment to the audience (rather than teach them anything). So Aristotle's focus was not on the message of a work, but in the elements that it employed while delivering that message. He was the first to isolate ideas such as "rhythm," "character," and "plot" as elements that should be studied and used in order to satisfy the audience's expectations.
As these are the first two lenses through which critics analyzed literature, both moral criticism and dramatic construction deeply affected the scholarship that followed. Many critics use both of these lenses today when applying other theories as well, and these remain two of the most common approaches to a work of literature.
Even though these two are often discussed together, the only relationship between the two of them is that of opposition. Moral criticism begins with Plato's Republic, where he spends Book X chronicling a discussion of Socrates and his associates discussing the role of art in a perfect society. They decide that art only serves a purpose when it teaches "piety" and "virtue"--i.e. art, specifically literature, should teach positive morals to citizens--and Plato himself states that art only imitates nature, so it should imitate the best parts of it so it is not harmful. (Think of parables and fables, which we have discussed in class.)
Of course, Plato's position is controversial--and his student Aristotle, the author of Poetics, disagrees with him. Aristotle considered art's purpose, especially poetry and drama, to provide entertainment and enjoyment to the audience (rather than teach them anything). So Aristotle's focus was not on the message of a work, but in the elements that it employed while delivering that message. He was the first to isolate ideas such as "rhythm," "character," and "plot" as elements that should be studied and used in order to satisfy the audience's expectations.
As these are the first two lenses through which critics analyzed literature, both moral criticism and dramatic construction deeply affected the scholarship that followed. Many critics use both of these lenses today when applying other theories as well, and these remain two of the most common approaches to a work of literature.