The Literature Network - Dryden's 'Defence of the epilogue': a reinterpretation. (John Dryden)

Dryden's 'Defence of the epilogue': a reinterpretation. (John Dryden)

Content courtesy of

From: Papers on Language & Literature
Date: 19930622
Author:Gelber, Michael Werth

John Dryden's 'Defence of the Epilogue; or, An Essay of the Dramatique Poetry of the last Age,' 1672, expresses an important step in Dryden's thought process as developed in his essays. In his 1668 'Essay of Dramatick Poesie,' Dryden admires the Elizabethan writers even while pointing out their flaws and expresses the hope of reaching their standards. With 'The Conquest of Granada' he knew he had produced a heroic play without violating rules of probability or decorum and so in the Epilogue he was harshly critical of the flawed Elizabethans. The Defence sets out the reasons for his critical ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on John Dryden

John Dryden

Dryden's 'Absalom and Achitophel.' (John Dryden)

John Dryden: Tercentenary Essays.(Review)(Brief Article)

Dryden's 'Defence of the epilogue': a reinterpretation. (John Dryden)

The Cambridge Companion to John Dryden.(Enchanted Ground: Reimagining John Dryden)(Book review)

"A Stranger in a Strange Land": Biblical typology of the Exodus in Dryden's 'The Spanish Friar'; or, 'The Double Discovery.'

Dryden Rules

Wish-fulfillment fantasies in Dryden's Aureng-Zebe.(John Dryden)(Critical essay)

A "double Portion of his Father's Art": Congreve, Dryden, Jonson and the drama of theatrical succession. (William Congreve, John Dryden, Ben Jonson)

Dryden's Aeneis 2.718-41.(John Dryden)(Critical Essay)

Find More Articles

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.