This document is a student paper submitted to the English Department at M.K. Bhavnagar University. It discusses the Ancient and Modern controversy regarding literary writers. It presents cases for considering the Ancient writers as superior to Modern writers. Specifically, it argues that the Ancients established the base for literature, excelled in drama and poetry, criticized each other in a healthy way, closely observed and depicted nature accurately, established rules for dramatic composition that Modern writers follow, and structured their works well despite writing in dead languages.

1. The Ancient & Modern Controversy
Cases for Ancient- Crites
Name: Riddhi S. Jani
Roll No: 28
Paper: 3, Literary Theory & Criticism
Semester: 1st
Submitted To: English Department,
M.K.Bhavnagar University

2. Introduction
• About Dryden and his Essay

3. Controversy
• Ancient and
Modern
controversy.
• It reminds us
“The Battle of
the Books” by
Swift.

4. Cases for Ancient
• Ancients gave
base to
Moderns.
• Their greatness
in drama and
poetry.

5. • Healthy competition between ancient
writers.
• Strong and impartial criticism.
• In modern time, the qualities of writers
remain hidden.
• Ancients were best as well as full of
morality.

6. • Ancients closely observed
nature and put her with
her whole beauty.
• While moderns distort
nature.

7. •
•
•
•
Ancients gave rules for dramatic composition.
Moderns take help of these rules.
Ancients strictly followed three unities.
“Three unities of time, place and action ought to
be observed in every regular play.”- Crites
• Moderns disturb those unities.
• The last thing: Ancients gave well structured
works. We cannot appreciate them in totality
because their language is dead.
• It is fact that they were higher than Moderns in
many ways.

9. Thank You