John Dryden as a critic

2. Name :- Charmi Vyas
Roll No :- 52
Email Id :- cmvyas1996@gmail.com
Paper No :- 3. Literary Theory and Criticism
Topic :- John Dryden As a Critic
Submitted to :- S.B. Gardi Department Of English,
Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

3. About John Dryden
 John Dryden was born in 19 August
1631 and died in 12 may 1700 (aged
68).
 He was an English poet, playwright,
translator and literary critic.
 He was dominating person that the
whole age was known as “ Age Of
Dryden”.

4. His Work
After Shakespeare he wrote the greatest heroic play of the
century, “ The Conquest Of Granada” (1670)
 Mac Flecknoe
 Of Dramatic poesie, an Essay
 The Indian Queen
 The Hindu and The Panther
 Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen.

5. John Dryden As a Critic
 John Dryden wrote “ An Essay Of Dramatic poesy” in
1668.
 Original title of the book is ‘ Of Dramatic Poesie, an
Essay’.
 In his book we can see both the side of john Dryden .
Dryden as a poet and as a playwright.
 He write this Essay as a dramatic dialogue with the
four character representing four critical position.

6.  In this book he discusses this five issues
Ancients vs.
English
Drama
Unities
French vs.
English
Drama
Separations of
Tragedy and
comedy vs.
Tragicomedy
Appropriatenes
s of rhyme in
Drama

7.  this book he favors the modern- English plays
but does not disparage the ancients.
 He said that French plays have only one plot
without sub-plot
 He also favors English drama and has some
critical things to say of French drama:
“ Those beauties of the French poesy are 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”.

8. Conclusion
 He was a critic of contemporary reality. His
critical observation of contemporary reality is
reflected in “ Mackfleknoe” (1682). P mature
thoughts of literary criticism on ancient, modern
and English literature especially on drama are
presented in dialogue from in ‘ An Essay on
Dramatic Poesy’.
 John Dryden was on of the most shining stars of

9. the Restoration age. That’s why this age is also know
as the age of Dryden. He was the great critic so, Dr.
Samuel Johnson quotes as…
“ The father of English criticism, Who
first taught us to “.