Of Dramatic Poesie, an Essay
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Of Dramatic Poesie, an Essay (1668) is a significant work by John Dryden that engages in a discussion about English drama. Presented as a conversation among four characters, Dryden, through his persona Neander, defends English dramatic traditions against French Neoclassical standards and ancient Classical drama.12
The essay explores various aspects of theater, including the merits of different playwrights and dramatic forms. It is considered one of the first substantial pieces of modern dramatic criticism in English, notable for its exploratory and informal style. Dryden's critical approach, characterized by a speculative and analytical tone, influenced subsequent literary criticism.12
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English literatureDryden…or, The Silent Woman in Of Dramatic Poesie, an Essay (1668) is remarkable as the first extended analysis of an English play, and his Discourse Concerning the Origin and Progress of Satire (1693) and the preface to the Fables Ancient and Modern (1700) both contain detailed commentary of the highest…
Read More…or, The Silent Woman in Of Dramatic Poesie, an Essay (1668) is remarkable as the first extended analysis of an English play, and his Discourse Concerning the Origin and Progress of Satire (1693) and the preface to the Fables Ancient and Modern (1700) both contain detailed commentary of the highest…
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…in English is John Dryden’s Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668). Dryden approached the rules with a refreshing honesty and argued all sides of the question; thus he questioned the function of the unities and accepted Shakespeare’s practice of mixing comedy and tragedy.
Read More…in English is John Dryden’s Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668). Dryden approached the rules with a refreshing honesty and argued all sides of the question; thus he questioned the function of the unities and accepted Shakespeare’s practice of mixing comedy and tragedy.
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comedyComedy and character…English poet, John Dryden, in Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668), makes the same point in describing the kind of laughter produced by the ancient Greek comedy The Clouds, by Aristophanes. In it the character of Socrates is made ridiculous by acting very unlike the true Socrates—that is, by appearing…
Read More…English poet, John Dryden, in Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668), makes the same point in describing the kind of laughter produced by the ancient Greek comedy The Clouds, by Aristophanes. In it the character of Socrates is made ridiculous by acting very unlike the true Socrates—that is, by appearing…
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William ShakespeareSeventeenth century… , in his essay “ Of Dramatick Poesie ” (1668) and other essays, condemned the improbabilities of Shakespeare’s late romances. Shakespeare lacked decorum, in Dryden’s view, largely because he had written for an ignorant age and poorly educated audiences. Shakespeare excelled in “fancy” or imagination, but he lagged behind in…
Read More… , in his essay “ Of Dramatick Poesie ” (1668) and other essays, condemned the improbabilities of Shakespeare’s late romances. Shakespeare lacked decorum, in Dryden’s view, largely because he had written for an ignorant age and poorly educated audiences. Shakespeare excelled in “fancy” or imagination, but he lagged behind in…
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tragedyNeoclassical theory…the guise of Neander in Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668), he said that it was
Read More…the guise of Neander in Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay (1668), he said that it was
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