John dryden's Literary Criticism

Dryden's literary criticism is different from the early traditional methods. They include not only theories, but also practical topics such as skills. They discuss not only poets and playwrights in the classical period, but also recent works. His praise of Shakespeare was especially influential.

In his satirical poems, Dryden usually puts forward some religious or political views. Absalom and Acito Foer (168 1) condemned the conspiracy of Count shaftesbury to make Monmouth Duke heir to the throne. Mike Flecknoe (1682) satirized Thomas Shadwell, a poet who supported Count shaftesbury. The Doe and Panther (1687) aim to defend the Catholic Church.

Dryden's poems mostly use heroic couplets (two lines rhyme, five steps each, and each step is in iambic form). His prose is clear, concise and powerful. His literary criticism shows good judgment.

Dryden was an advocate of heroic drama. Heroic drama is a kind of tragedy with great momentum. It uses heroic couplets and takes love and honor as its theme. The conquest of Granada (1670) is the most popular among Dryden's heroic plays. All for Love (1677) is based on Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra, which is probably his best tragic work. Dryden's comedies are vulgar and vulgar, reflecting the popular taste of that era.