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What does a 2,000-year old man know about infomercials? Everything.(GuestOpinion; lessons gleaned from Aristotle's The Poetics)

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From: Response
Date: 20060501
Author:Ciavatta, Anthony

More than 2,000 years ago, one of the greatest minds in Western Civilization wrote a little book that holds all the secrets to great writing. That person? Aristotle. The book? The Poetics. Somewhat esoteric, it's not exactly everyday reading. Yet the principles outlined in this masterpiece are as relevant to infomercials as they were to the dramatic works of Aristotle's day.

Chances are Aristotle never uttered the words, "But wait, there's more!" However, the old man certainly can teach us how to write better infomercials.

Let's start with Aristotle's most basic concept. ...

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