Acknowledgement

Note on the texts

1. Introduction

2. Plato: The Republic, III 3. Aristotle: The Poetics

4. Horace: The Art of Poetry

5. Donatus: On Comedy

6. Francesco Robortello: Commentary on Aristotle's Poetics

7. Julius Caesar Scaliger: Poetics

8. Bartolome de Torres de Naharro: Introduction to Propalladia

9. Antonfrancesco Grazzini: The Witch: introductory dialogue

10. Giambattista Giraldi: Prologue to Altile On the Composition of Comedies and Tragedies

11. Ludovico Castelvetro: On the Art of Poetry

12. Richard Edwards: Prologue to Damon and Pythias

13. Giambattista Guarini: The Compendium of Tragicomic Poetry

14. Sforza Oddi: Prologue to The Prison of Love

15. George Whetstone: Promos and Cassandra Epistle Dedicatory

16. Angelo Ingegneri: On Mimetic Poetry 17. Lorenzo Giacomini: On Purgation in Tragedy 18. Sir Philip Sidney: The Defence of Poetry

19. Lope de Vega Carpio: New Art of Making Comedies at the Present Time

20. Ben Jonson: Timber, or Discoveries Induction to Every Man Out of his Humour Prologue to Every Man in His Humour The Magnetic Lady Chorus

21. Thomas Heywood: The Author to his Book An Apology for Actors 22. Tirso de Molina: The Country Houses of Toledo

23. On Le Cid: Observations on Le Cid The Opinion of the French Academy Concerning Le Cid

24. Francois Hedelin, Abbe d'Aubignac: The Practical Art of the Theatre

25. Pierre Corneille: On the Purpose and Parts of a Play On Verisimilitude and the Necessary On the Three Unities

26. Charles de Saint-Evremond: On Ancient and Modern Tragedy

27. Jean Racine: Notes to Aristotle's Poetics

Prefaces

28. Thomas Rymer: The Tragedies of the Last Age A Short View of Tragedy

29. John Dryden: An Essay of Dramatic Poesy

30. William Congreve: On Humour in Comedy

Bibliography

Index.