Dryden and his companion ideas see that to four critics view about his essay..

1. Name: Deepika Vaja
Paper : Literary theory & criticism western
Topic: Dryden’s Essay In Defense Of French Play
Enrollment no: PG14101031
Year & class: 2014-16 & M.A -1
Roll no:05
deepikavaja3733@gmail.com
Dept. of English
M. K. Bhavnagar University

2.  John Dryden was English poet, dramatist
and critic, was the leading literary figure of
the restoration age.
 He was father of English literary criticism.
 Dryden wrote to
(1668)
 In this essay, he favors to the ancient and
modern theater.
 He gives to defense of play in his essay and
also he debit of French and English drama
who is truth in his essay.

3. • “A play ought to be a just and lively
images of human nature, representing
its passion and humors, and the changes of
fortune to which it is subject, for the delight
and instruction of mankind”. -John Dryden
• “…to vindicate the honor of our English
writers from the censure of those who
unjustly prefer the French before them”.

6. • Dryden is a neoclassical critic, and as playwright in
his criticism with issues of form and this four
critical positions, and relies heavily on a pragmatic
tradition in this four character.
• In the French drama at present we must admire then
their copiousness variety which is a source of
pleasure for the audience Dryden as favors to the
modern- English drama and but does not disparage
the ancients. He also favors and agree with to
English drama, has some critic things to say French
drama..

7. • His definition, drama is an ‘image’ of
‘human nature’ and the image is just as well
as ‘lively’, Dryden says that ‘just’ not to
reproduce, poetic imitation is different from
an exact, servile copy of reality and just
‘lively’.
• It would have to be admitted that , French
have acknowledge in English plays, and the
actions are closely and coherently knit
together to form one organic whole.

8. • In this essay Dryden as favors and understand to the English
and French drama.
• He is every time criticizes French drama essentially for its
smallness and says that beauties of the French poesy and
such as will raise perfection higher where it is, but are not
sufficient to give it where it is not, they are indeed the
beauties of a statue ,but not of a man.
• So, that the definition drama is an ‘image’ of ‘human
nature’ and that the images is ‘just’ as well as ‘lively’. And
using the ‘just’ to seems at imply that literature imitates of
human actions. For Dryden ‘poetics imitation; is different
from an exact, servile copy of reality, for the imitation is
not only ‘just;, it is also ‘lively’.