John Dryden

John Dryden (1631–1700) was an English poet, playwright, and critic whose work shaped Restoration literature. He became England’s first official Poet Laureate in 1668.

Restoration literature: English literature produced during the Restoration of the monarchy, conventionally dated from 1660 to the early eighteenth century. Dryden became its leading literary figure as theatres reopened and royal patronage returned.
Absalom and Achitophel: A 1681 political satire by Dryden that recasts the Exclusion Crisis as a biblical story. It displays his skill at turning current political conflict into memorable verse and allegory.
Charles II of England: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 until his death in 1685. His court and patronage helped shape the literary culture in which Dryden rose to prominence.
An Essay of Dramatic Poesy: A 1668 prose dialogue by Dryden comparing ancient and modern drama, and French and English theatre. It presents his critical method through competing speakers rather than a single direct argument.
Samuel Johnson: An English writer and critic of the eighteenth century, best known for his Dictionary and literary criticism. Johnson’s Lives of the Poets helped secure Dryden’s standing as a foundational English critic.
English Restoration: The restoration of the English monarchy under Charles II in 1660 after the Interregnum. The restored court created the political world in which Dryden won patronage and public prominence.
Mac Flecknoe: A mock-heroic poem by Dryden that satirizes the playwright Thomas Shadwell as heir to a kingdom of dullness. Its comic attack helped make personal literary satire one of Dryden’s signature modes.
Thomas Shadwell: An English playwright and poet who succeeded Dryden as Poet Laureate in 1689. Dryden made Shadwell the target of Mac Flecknoe and later political satire.
Translation: The rendering of a text from one language into another while negotiating meaning, style, and form. Dryden’s influential translations treated literary recreation as more than word-for-word substitution.
Alexander Pope: An English poet of the early eighteenth century, renowned for polished verse and satirical couplets. Pope inherited and refined the heroic couplet tradition that Dryden had helped establish.

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