~ 335 BC ~
Aristotle’s Poetics is the earliest surviving work of Greek dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory. The book is divided into verse drama, lyric poetry, and epic differentiated by music rhythm, harmony, meter, melody, and narrative presentation. The core discussion focuses on the analysis of tragedy. Aristotle identifies the components that make up tragedy, including plot, character, thought, diction, and melody. Aristotle's work on aesthetics consists of the Poetics, Politics, and Rhetoric. The Poetics was lost for a long time but was restored by a Latin translation of an Arabic version.