Stephen Gosson (1554-1624) was an English essayist who brought some objections against poetry and poets in his “The School of Abuse”. But Sir Philip Sydney (1554-1586) in his “An Apology for Petry”, answered those objections and proved that all the objections brought by Gosson are false and baseless.
The objections of Poetry:
- Poetry is a waste of time;
- Poetry is the mother of lies;
- It is a nurse of abuse;
- Plato has rightly banished the poets from his ideal state or commonwealth.
Conclusion: Sydney has rightly defended the ill will against poetry and poets in his essay. According to him, poetry was the first and original source of knowledge in the best languages of the world.
To read more: Give your comment on Sydney’s view on the functions of poetry.
