Debates about the Value of Literature from Homer to Aristotle
By Andrew Ford
Implicit justifications for the value of learning “literature” (i.e., songs and verse) can be found sporadically in Homer and archaic poetry but become increasingly common and explicit in 5th-century texts; from these, three main claims (not necessarily mutually exclusive) can be extracted: that poetry improves the moral character of the student; that it inculcates wisdom; that it has practical utility. Counterarguments to each of these claims can also be discerned, indicating that the teaching of literature is always liable to encounter opposition.