John DrydenDryden's poetry is straightforward, bold, and energetic. He was in the public eye for some forty years, holding positions at court for a long period of time. He was indisputably perceived as the leading writer of his day. He excelled in all the types of writing practiced at the time. He wrote more, and in more genres than anyone. He accumulated to himself (it is a odd distinction) a huge mass of attacks, ranging from the reasoned to the scabrous. Dryden explained his attitudes and intentions in a large number of prologues, epilogues, prefaces, defences, and vindications-thereby quite casually producing the first body of what we now call 'criticism' in English. And yet his life and character remain something of a mystery. |
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Page 73
... betwixt friends . Only it has been prosecuted by some , like pedants , with violence of words , and managed by others , like gentlemen , with candour and civility . Even Tully had a controversy with his dear Atticus , and in one of his ...
... betwixt friends . Only it has been prosecuted by some , like pedants , with violence of words , and managed by others , like gentlemen , with candour and civility . Even Tully had a controversy with his dear Atticus , and in one of his ...
Page 91
... betwixt his Satires and Doctor Donne's , that the one gives us deep thoughts in common language , though rough cadence , the other gives us common thoughts in abstruse words . ' Tis true , in some places his wit is independent of his ...
... betwixt his Satires and Doctor Donne's , that the one gives us deep thoughts in common language , though rough cadence , the other gives us common thoughts in abstruse words . ' Tis true , in some places his wit is independent of his ...
Page 125
... betwixt the epic poesy and the dramatic , for many reasons he there alleges , ranked above it ? ' But setting this defence aside , your argument is almost as strong against the use of rhyme in poems as in plays . For the epic way is ...
... betwixt the epic poesy and the dramatic , for many reasons he there alleges , ranked above it ? ' But setting this defence aside , your argument is almost as strong against the use of rhyme in poems as in plays . For the epic way is ...
Contents
To John Hoddesdon on his Divine Epigrams I | 1 |
Astraea Redux | 9 |
Absalom and Achitophel | 177 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Absalom and Achitophel Aeneas Aeneid ancient Arcite Aristotle arms bear beauty behold Ben Jonson betwixt blessed blood breast Caeneus Chaucer Cinyras courser cried crime crown death Dryden e'en earth English eyes fair fame fate father fear fight fire flames force Georgics give goddess gods grace Greek ground hand haste head heart heaven honour Iliad John Dryden Jove kind king labour leave light live lord lover Lucretius maid Metamorphoses mighty mind mortal muse nature never night numbers o'er once Ovid pain Palamon passion Pindar Pirithous plain play pleased poem poet praise Priam prince pursue queen race rage rest rhyme Roman sacred Satire of Juvenal seas Sejanus sighed sight sire skies soul stood sweet sword tears thee Theseus thou thought translation Twas verse Virgil vows wife wind words youth