Jennine Lanouette at 2014-02-23 18:36:49:

This is perhaps the chapter that suffers the most under the weight of bad translation. The point being made by the examples given is largely lost in most cases. Basically, what Aristotle is saying is that, when it comes to style in writing, there is a spectrum that ranges from the prosaic to the exotic. The advantage of the prosaic word choice is clarity of meaning, but the risk is dullness. The advantage of the exotic word choice is added character and meaning, but there is risk in becoming incomprehensible. It is a delicate balance to find the right mix that will lend both clarity and character to a phrase. When language is made exotic for exotic’s sake, by changing around words and such, the whole thing falls apart. Perhaps Lewis Carroll was specifically attempting to challenge Aristotle in his famous poem. But where he could have simply written, “It was a beautiful day and the leafy trees blew around in the wind,” (admittedly on the dull end of the spectrum) he chose instead to write, “Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe,” which Aristotle would no doubt have deemed going too far and, thus, pronounced as gibberish. On the other hand, when exotic language is infused with metaphor, it can elevate a phrase beyond its prosaic meaning. The example Aristotle gives is some kind of business about a couch and a table, which, according to Kenneth McLeish, is impossible to effectively translate from the Greek. To get the intended point across, McLeish calls upon Shakespeare, and a phrase from Romeo and Juliet. Instead of writing, “Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day/Stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops,” he could have simply gone with, “The stars have gone in and it will soon be dawn.” But then he wouldn’t be Shakespeare, would he. In this century, these points on writing style will be more useful to fiction writers and poets than to screenwriters since, in screenwriting, the only words that actually show in the work are those uttered by the characters. And the only style those words should exhibit is the style of expression particular to the character uttering them. This is an art unto itself about which Aristotle was relatively ignorant as is evidenced when he notes that “From the palace, out he comes” is a superior line to “He’s coming out of the palace” (McLeish translation) because it gives the phrase distinction. However, one can find words to live by in this sentence towards the end of the chapter: “But the greatest thing by far is to have a command of metaphor.” Aristotle knew even back then what brain scientists are finding in their research today: metaphor is essential to human communication. A couple of years ago, I wrote some thoughts on what this means for screenwriters: http://www.screentakes.com/why-do-we-need-metaphor-in-film/