poetics

American  

[poh-et-iks] / poʊˈɛt ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. literary criticism treating of the nature and laws of poetry.

2. the study of prosody.

3. a treatise on poetry.

4. (initial capital letter, italics) a treatise or collection of notes on aesthetics (4th century b.c.) by Aristotle.

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poetics British  

/ pəʊˈɛtɪks /

noun

1. the principles and forms of poetry or the study of these, esp as a form of literary criticism

2. a treatise on poetry

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Etymology

Origin of poetics

First recorded in 1720–30; see origin at poetic, -ics

Explanation

The theory of literary techniques involved in composing verse and prose is known as poetics. If you study poetics in college, you'll read, talk, and think about a lot of literature. Poetics goes back to the Greek poietikos, "pertaining to poetry," or literally, "productive or creative." While poetry is evident in this word, you can use it to describe a deep study of any kind of literary work. When it's capitalized, Poetics usually refers to the title of a work by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, which is the earliest known Western work of literary theory.

Example Sentences

Mr. Irmscher, a newly named Guggenheim Fellow, is the author of “The Poetics of Natural History” and other books.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In "The Poetics of Space," Gaston Bachelard writes, "We must look for centers of simplicity in homes with many rooms. . . . In a palace, 'there's no place for intimacy.'"

From Salon • Aug. 28, 2022

“It’s like a blank canvas,” he said in a 2013 interview for the music magazine Wax Poetics.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2022

Called “Sweat the Technique: The Politics and Poetics of Hip-Hop,” the event attracted a standing-room-only crowd in South Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2022

There is the same lime green spine of The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri