Name: Deepika VajaPaper : Literary theory & criticism westernTopic: Dryden’s Essay In Defense Of

French Play Enrollment no: PG14101031Year & class: 2014-16 & M.A -1Roll no:05deepikavaja3733@gmail.com Dept. of English M. K. Bhavnagar University

Of Dramatick Poesie, An Essay-John Dryden(1631-1700)

John Dryden was English poet, dramatist and critic, was the leading literary figure of the restoration age.

He was father of English literary criticism.

Dryden wrote to ‘An Essay of dramatic poesy’.(1668)

In this essay, he favors to the ancient and modern theater.

He gives to defense of play in his essay and also he debit of French and English drama who is truth in his essay.

Introduction

Defense of French drama

• “A play ought to be a just and lively images of human nature, representing

its passion and humors, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind”. -John Dryden

• “…to vindicate the honor of our English writers from the censure of those who unjustly prefer the French before them”.

Ancients vs. Moderns

Unities French vs. English drama

Separation of tragedy &comedy vs. Tragicomedy

Appropriateness of Rhyme in Drama

In the essay four Critics in arguers' to French and English drama…………….

1.Engenius 2.Crites3.Lisideius 4.Neander

Five issue in this essay

• Dryden is a neoclassical critic, and as playwright in his criticism with issues of form and this four critical positions, and relies heavily on a pragmatic tradition in this four character.

• In the French drama at present we must admire then their copiousness variety which is a source of pleasure for the audience Dryden as favors to the modern- English drama and but does not disparage the ancients. He also favors and agree with to English drama, has some critic things to say French drama..

• His definition, drama is an ‘image’ of ‘human nature’ and the image is just as well as ‘lively’, Dryden says that ‘just’ not to reproduce, poetic imitation is different from an exact, servile copy of reality and just ‘lively’.

• It would have to be admitted that , French have acknowledge in English plays, and the actions are closely and coherently knit together to form one organic whole.

• In this essay Dryden as favors and understand to the English and French drama.

• He is every time criticizes French drama essentially for its smallness and says that beauties of the French poesy and 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.

• So, that the definition drama is an ‘image’ of ‘human nature’ and that the images is ‘just’ as well as ‘lively’. And using the ‘just’ to seems at imply that literature imitates of human actions. For Dryden ‘poetics imitation; is different from an exact, servile copy of reality, for the imitation is not only ‘just;, it is also ‘lively’.

Conclusion

Thank you……………