Knowra Restoration literature Restoration literature English writing produced after the monarchy’s restoration in 1660, shaped by reopened theatres, political conflict, satire, and changing literary forms.
English Restoration : The return of the English monarchy in 1660 under Charles II after the Interregnum. Its political settlement marks the period in which Restoration literature developed.
John Dryden : An English poet, playwright, and critic who became Poet Laureate in 1668. His drama, satire, and criticism helped define the period’s literary standards.
Charles II of England : King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 until his death in 1685. His court and restoration of theatrical life provided a defining political setting.
Neoclassicism : A movement that adapts classical Greek and Roman principles of order, decorum, and imitation. Its rules of wit and form influenced writers while remaining contested in the period.
Women in theatre : The participation of women as performers and creators in theatrical institutions. The return of professional actresses changed casting and the representation of women onstage.
Restoration comedy : A comic drama of the late seventeenth century, known for witty dialogue, sexual intrigue, and manners. Its stage conventions became one of the era’s most recognizable literary forms.
William Wycherley : An English dramatist best known for the comedies The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer. His plays exemplify the era’s sharp social comedy and sexual intrigue.
John Milton : An English poet and polemicist whose major works include Paradise Lost and Areopagitica. His late poetry connects Restoration writing to earlier republican and Puritan debates.
Metaphysical poetry : Seventeenth-century poetry marked by intellectual argument, surprising conceits, and compressed language. Its earlier poetic habits contrast with the period’s growing emphasis on public wit and formal restraint.
Political satire : Satirical writing that exposes or attacks political figures, institutions, or policies. Partisan conflict made satire a prominent mode in poems, plays, and prose.
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