Age of Dryden.pptx

Bullet facts on Age of Dryden and Restoration period will help students of literature and who prepare for Net/Set Examinations.

1. Age of Dryden/ Restoration Period ( 1660-1700) Dr.S.Devashanthi Assistant Professor Department of English ADUC

2. Historical Background Restoration of King Charles II. Replaced power of monarchy with power of Parliament. The religion and political fervor reflected in the literature. After accession of Charles II, in 1660, the theatres were reopened which were closed in 1642.

3. In 1685-1688 James II took the throne. Overthrow of James II was called the ‘Glorious or Bloodless Revolution’. The Royal Society was founded in 1662 for improving the natural knowledge.

4. Literary backgroun d The restoration was an age of poetry and drama. Popular writers of restoration comedy were John Dryden, George Etherege, and William Congreve. The authors of the period followed great classical writers ,in particular to Greek and Latin writers for guidance and inspiration. French influenced drama of that period.

5. Literary background (cont.…) French and classical model combined to produce ‘heroic play’. The New school of writers under Dryden was frigid and limited in quality.

6. Dryden Dryden was born near Oundle in Northampton shire. He studied at Oundle Grammar School ,later in Westminster School and went to Cambridge. He was a man of Letters. He was the representative of his Age.

7. His Works Dryden first poem is a Heroic stanzas (1659) on the death of the protector Oliver Cromwell. It consists of 37 stanzas. His second work Astraea Redux is in celebration of Charles II return. The poem reflects Dryden’s reversal of political opinions.

8. Annus Mirabilis is the account of Great Fire and D utch war. The poem is in Quatrain with dignified tone. The famous satirical allegory Absalom and Achitophel (1691) made Dryden the literary champion of monarchy. Absalom is the Duke of Monmouth and Achitophel represents Shaftesbury counsellor to Duke.

9. His another political poem is The Medal that received an answer from his friend Shadwell. Dryden resorted for this in MacFlecknoe . Religio Laici (1682) and The Hind and the Panther (1687) manifested new political development. Religio Laici is in support of the English church.

10. The Hind and Panther written after accession of James, is an allegorical defense of the roman Catholic faith. The longest and best pieces of lyrical poetry are Song of Saint Cecilia’s Day (1687) and Alexander’s Feast written for same anniversary in 1697.

11. Dryden’s first play is a comedy , The Wild gallant(1663). It is modeled on Spanish comedies and humours of Jonson. The Heroic Play is new type of Drama after the Restoration. Dryden is one of the earliest to use this form skillfully.

12. The chief features of Heroic couplet are 1.Great heroic personage as central personage 2. Succession of stage incidents of exalted character.

13. His Heroic Plays : The Rival Ladies(1663) The Indian Emperor (1665) Tyrannick Love (1669) The Conquest of Granada(1669,1670) Aureng-zebe(1675) His Blank-verse Tragedy : All for Love ,or The World well lost (1878) is a Dramatic master piece.

14. His Prose : The general subject of his prose is literary criticism The Essay of Dramatick Poesie (1669) is his longest single piece prose work and major piece of English literary criticism. It is in the form of discussion between four friends about criticism and major topics of drama.

15. Last Period His Last period is marked with translations. He died in 1700 and accorded a splendid funeral in Westminster.

16. Thank You Sources : Edward Albert : History of English Literature. Ronald Carter and John McRae : The Routledge History of English Literature. Prem Shankar Pandey : World Literature in Your Fist.