Rudrika Gohel submitted a paper on John Dryden and literary theory and criticism. The paper discusses Dryden's views on drama and the debate between four characters - Eugenius, Crites, Lisideius, and Neander - on issues like ancients vs moderns, the unities, French vs English drama, and the use of rhyme. It summarizes Lisideius' view that French playwrights are superior to English ones due to their adherence to the unities of time and place, logical plots, and skillful narration and characterization. The paper concludes that Neander favors moderns and ancients, and sees tragicomedy and subplots as enriching drama, unlike the

1. Name: Rudrika Gohel
Course: M.A. English
Sem: 1
Batch: 2017-2019
Roll No: 38
Enrollment No: 2069108420180015
Submitted to: Smt.S.B.Gardi Department of English
MKBU
Email Id: rudrikagohel97@gmail.com
Paper no: 3 Literary Theory and Criticism

3. John Dryden
 9 August, 1631 – 12 May,
1700
 Writer, Critic, Translator &
Poet
 Puritan family, oldest of 14
children
 England’s first Poet Laureate
in 1668
 Dryden's greatest
achievement in satiric verse:
the mock-heroic Mac
Flecknoe
 Marriage: A La Mode
 In 1667 Dryden had another
remarkable hit with a
tragicomedy, Secret Love, or
the Maiden Queen

4. Dryden's definition of
drama:
 "A play ought to be a just and lively image of human
nature, representing it's passion and humors, and the
changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight
and instruction of mankind.“
 Five issues are under discussion in this essay:
Ancients vs moderns
Unities
French vs English drama
Separation of tragedy and comedy vs tragicomedy
Appropriateness of Rhyme in drama

5. Dryden wrote this essay with dramatic dialog, four
characters representing the four critic's position.
These four critical positions deal with five issues.
1. Eugenius favours the moderns over the ancients
2. Crites argues in favour of the ancients
3. Lisideius argues that French drama is superior to English
drama
4. Neander favours the moderns-English plays, but does not
disparage the ancients. He also favours English drama and
has some critical things to say of French drama.

6. Lisideius’ view in favour of
French Playwrights
The French are superior to the English from various
reasons:
1. Lisideius favours the French plays and considered
them as the best of all Europe, because of their
adherence to the unities.
They favours the Unity of time and they observe it
so carefully. When it comes to the Unity of Place,
they are equally careful. In most of their plays, the
entire action is limited to one place. And the Unity
of Action is even more obvious. And they are follow
the ancients.
Their plays are never over-loaded with sub-plots as
is the case with the English plays. According to
Lisideius, no drama in the world is as absurd as the
English tragic-comedy.

7. 2. The Plots of the French tragedies are based on well-
known stories with reference to the theory and practice of
the Ancients. They transformed these stories for dramatic
purpose. So their stories are mixture of truth with fiction.
3. The French do not burden the play with a fat plot.
They represent a story which will be one complete
action, But the English burden their plays with actions
and incidents. In English plays no logical and natural
connection with the main action.
4. The English plays give the attention to one single
character, and the others are merely introduced to set
off that principal character. Whereas In the English
plays, one character is more important than the others,
and quite naturally, the greater part of the action is
concerned with him.

8. 5. The French narrations are better managed and more skilful
than the English narration. There is two kinds of narration, the
action of the play which is dull and boring, and is often not
listened by the audience. The French are able to avoid the
representation of scenes like bloodshed, violence and murder
on the stage and such scenes of horror and tumult has
disfigured many English plays. In this way, they avoid much that
is ridiculous and absurd in the English plays.
6. The major imperfection of English plays is the representation
of Death on the stage, But according French plays death should
better to be described or narrated rather than represented.
7. It is wrong to believe that the French represent no part of their
action on the stage. Instead, they make proper selection. Cruel
actions which are likely to cause hatred, or disbelief by their
impossibility, must be avoided or merely narrated.

9. The French are superior to the
English in other ways
 There is no sudden conversion or changes in character it heir
the plays. Every changes of character is psychologically
accounted for, and seems natural and justified. On the other
hand, in English plays, such as ‘The Scornful Lady’ such
unnatural and unjustified changes of character are frequent.
Eg. John Webster’s ‘The Duchess of Malfi’.
 In French plays the ‘Entrances’ and ‘Exits’ of characters are
logically and naturally accounted for. The English are not so
skillful in this respect.
 The French are also superior in their use of rhyme. The
English also use rhyme but generally their rhymed plays are
badly written. At the end he compliments the "beauty of their
rhyme" because of English poetry, though he doesn't think
there is anyone who was capable of doing it properly.

10. Conclusion
 Neander favours the Moderns and
respects the Ancients
 Neander a spokesperson of Dryden, he
argues that tragic comedy is the best
form for a play; because it is the closest
to life in which emotions are heightened
by both mirth and sadness.
 He also finds subplots as an integral
part to enrich a play. He finds the French
drama, with its single action.