The Influence of Poetry on Human Thought and Behavior: Evolution of A Provocative Concept
Written by Donald E. Williams Copyright 1998
In a letter to Sir Water Raleigh, the eminent Renaissance poet Edmund Spenser
articulated the quintessential objective of his work The Fairie Queene:
The general aim therefore of all the book is to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline. (Spenser, 15)
Among the elite vates, the literary prophets of a new golden age of literature, Spencer acknowledged the ability of poetry to profoundly influence and shape human thought and behavior. Although Spenser's ideas are intriguing, they did not originate with him or his contemporaries. Rather, this philosophical concept, like the Darwinian concept of biological diversity and adaptation, has evolved slowly over time. With origins in the Hellenistic world of classical gods and goddesses, understanding of the positive and negative influences of literature on human behavior has undergone its own metamorphosis.
The ability of poetry to significantly influence human thought and behavior is one of the principal concerns of Socrates in Plato's Republic. Near the beginning of this philosophical dialogue where the philosopher begins to establish the foundation for his model city, Socrates criticizes Greek poetry that presumably encourages immoderate and intemperate behavior. For Socrates, poetry is an art form which directly affects its audience. On the basis of this premise, the philosopher begins to establish his case. He provides an example from The Odyssey:
And what about making the wisest of man say (in poetic verse) that, in his opinion, the finest of all things is when:
The tables are full of bread and meat
And the wine bearer draws wine from the bowl
And brings it to pour in the goblets?
Do you think that's fit for a young man to hear for his self-mastery? (Bloom, 68)
Socrates' criticism of Odysseus in The Odyssey is most provocative. Not surprisingly, Socrates takes issue with Odysseus' exaltation of excessive eating and drinking above "all things. " Rather, as indicated in several places throughout the work, Socrates considers the quest for knowledge and truth to be Man's finest pursuit. This passage is important because it clearly illustrates Socrates' belief in the power of negative literary examples to adversely affect the "self mastery" of the young.
As the philosopher continues his exploration of the powerful effects of poetry on human behavior, he rebukes Homer and other writers that misrepresent the gods as producers of evil. Thus, he asserts:
....and let us not believe, or let it be said, that Theseus, Poseidon's son, and Perithous, Zeus' son, so eagerly undertook terrible rapes, or that any other child of a god and himself a hero would have dared to do terrible and impious deeds such as the current lie accuse them of. Rather we should compel the poets to deny that such deeds are theirs, or that they are children of the gods, but not to say both, not to attempt to persuade youngsters that the gods produce evil, and that heroes are no better than human beings. (Bloom, 69)
In the above passage, Socrates uses many examples from The Iliad and The Odyssey to illustrate the inherent dangers of poetry to corrupt and pervert human understanding and behavior.