John Dryden

The quote "the pun is the lowest form of wit" is often attributed to John Dennis, an early eighteenth-century playwright, who criticized puns for their effect on language. John Dryden, a contemporary...

The use of smooth meter, rhyming couplets, epic diction, balanced clauses, biting satire, and a penchant for sententious moralizing make Dryden's work Neoclassical.

John Dryden is considered "the father of English Criticism" by Dr. Johnson due to his significant contributions to literary criticism, showcasing his analytical prowess in works like Of Dramatic...

John Dryden's "Epigram on Milton" praises Milton by comparing him to Homer and Virgil, suggesting Milton combines their best qualities. Written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of aa bb cc,...

Satire became popular during the era of John Dryden and Alexander Pope due to the intellectual climate that valued reason, skepticism, and wit. The Restoration and Augustan Age encouraged...

Dryden composed "Alexander's Feast" to celebrate St. Cecilia's Day, a festival that commemorates the patron saint of music and musicians. The poem can be seen as a celebration of the remarkable power...

John Dryden and Alexander Pope brought a new polish and epic allusiveness to English poetry, accompanied by stinging satire. Both poets employed grandiose diction to describe scabrous subject matter.

This is a funny poem because it is Horatian satire: that which is funny; witty; kindly, yet revealing of error; and tolerant (not Juvenalian satire: mean, angry, resentful). This satirical poem is...

John Dryden’s poem “London After the Great Fire, 1666” explains how the Great Fire of London symbolized a rebirth for the city, much like a phoenix rising from its ashes. Dryden uses metaphors and...

"Mac Flecknoe" is one of the greatest examples of scatalogical humor you'll ever find and an example of the mock heroic idiom or lofty satire, where the poem is too short to be an epic, which...

John Dryden was a genius because he wrote with lucidity, poetry and precision. His subjects include religion, love, politics and the literary tradition. He tended to insist upon a moral effect in...

John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Samuel Johnson are all described as "Augustan" writers, meaning that although they were British eighteenth-century writers, their work was heavily influenced by...

Neoclassicism is a term used to describe poets and writers of the late 17th century and 18th century. The are called neo-classical because they tried to imitate the classical Greek and Roman poets....

Dryden’s “Mac Flecknoe” is a satirical poem, attempting show that his opponents are not just wrong, but trivial and incoherent. One device he uses is to do what appears to be building up or...

Dryden is distinguished as not only an excellent poet, dramatist and author in his own right, but also as somebody whose great intellect and sound powers of argument enabled him to write excellent...