Ques 1:
Discuss Sidney as an eclectic critic
Ans:
It is difficult to claim that Sidney
is anything but a critic in this essay. He draws upon the examples of a wide
range of literature, yes, and this could expose him to attacks of being merely
"eclectic" in his tastes. However, he uses each mention of other
poets and works to support his argument and to deepen the reader's
understanding about what he is saying. It is clear when he turns his attention
to contemporary art towards the end of his essay that he is very critical about
the poets and dramatists of his day, and he supports his points through the use
of a number of rhetorical strategies and through various appeals to great
thinkers in the past. Consider, for example, his critique of the failings of
contemporary drama:
...where
you shall have Asia of the one side, and Afric of the other, and so many other
under kingdoms, that the player, when he cometh in, must ever begin with
telling where he is, or else the tale will not be conceived.
Sidney
uses this humorous example to support Aristotle's arguments about the three
unities that are necessary in drama: time, place and action. At each point he
makes clear his immense learning and capacity for critical thought through his
wide-ranging and perceptive references to other critics and to their works.
Although he makes many references, each, when closely examined, are supported
and used effectively to argue his point, showing without a doubt that he is a
critic of the highest order rather than merely eclectic in his tastes.
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