Ancient thinkers sought to determine what makes poetry distinctive as a form and what distinguishes good poetry from bad, resulting in the development of "poetics", or the study of the aesthetics of poetry.
ˈeɪntʃənt θˈɪŋkɚz sˈɔːt tə dɪtˈɜːmɪn wʌt mˌeɪks pˈoʊɪtɹi dɪstˈɪŋktɪv æz ɐ fˈɔːɹm ænd wʌt dɪstˈɪŋɡwɪʃᵻz ɡˈʊd pˈoʊɪtɹi fɹʌm bˈæd, ɹɪzˈʌltɪŋ ɪnðə dɪvˈɛləpmənt ʌv "poʊˈɛɾɪks", ɔːɹ ðə stˈʌdi ʌvðɪ ɛsθˈɛɾɪks ʌv pˈoʊɪtɹi.