Search -
Lives of Eminent Novelists and Dramatists
Lives of Eminent Novelists and Dramatists Author:Sir Walter Scott General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1887 Original Publisher: F. Warne Subjects: English fiction English literature English drama Drama / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / General Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / Drama Notes: T... more »his is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE LIFE OF JOHN DBYDEN, CHAPTER I. Preliminary Remarks on the Poetry of England before the Civil Wars -- The I/ife of Dryden from his Birth till the Restoration -- His early Poems, including the "Annus Mi/rabilis." THE Life of Dryden may be said to comprehend a history of the literature of England, and its changes, during nearly half a century. While his great contemporary Milton was in silence and secresy laying the foundation of that immortal fame, which no poet has so highly deserved, Dryden's labours were ever in the eye of the public; and he maintained, from the time of the Restoration till his death, in 1700, a decided and acknowledged superiority over all the poets of his age. As he wrote from necessity, he was obliged to pay a certam deference to the public opinion; for he, whose bread depends upon the success of his volume, is compelled to study popularity: but, on the other hand, his better judgment was often directed to improve that of his readers; so that he alternately influenced and stooped to the national taste of the day. If, therefore, we would know the gradual changes which took place in our poetry during the above period, we have only to consult the writings of an author, who produced yearly some new performance, allowed to be most excellent in the particular style which was fashionable for the time. It is the object of this memoi...« less