Home › BA English Literature › English Literature › Literary Theory › Aristotle's test for unity of action — that no e…
Aristotle's test for unity of action — that no element be removable without damage — implies organic structure where:
AIf any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed
BRemoving parts improves the action
CParts are independent of one another
DThe plot is improvised at performance
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. If any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed
1. Aristotle states the principle explicitly.
2. Each part has a necessary place in the structure.
3. Unity concerns the action, not merely the protagonist's biography.
_Source: Project Gutenberg #1974 — Aristotle's Poetics — "if any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed"_
Related questions