GAYATRI GOSWAMI M

PAPER NO:-03-LITERARY THEORY &CRITICISM

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:-DRYDEN AS CRITIC

SEMESTER-1-PART-1

ROLL NO-11

SUBMITTED TO

Dr. DILIP BARAD

M.K.Bhavnagar University

Dryden as a Critic

Introduction of john Dryden:-

John Dryden was born In the village rectory of near theapston in Northampton  where his maternal grandfather was rector of all saint. john was an English poet, literary critic ,translator ,and playwright who was

 mode poet laureate in ‘1668’ .he is seen dominating the literary life of restoration England to such a paint that the period come to be known in literary circle as the Age of Dryden.

“wolter scott called his glorious john”

v     LIMITED OF DRYDEN AS CRITIC:-

With all these merits, certain defect have also been noted in Dryden’s criticism. It is inconsistent betrays imperfect knowledge, and sometime give too much concession to tradition and classical Authority . Dr. Johnson   was the first critic to not these limitation of Dryden. He pointed to the inconsistency in Dryden’s attitude to Rhyming play. His lack of scruple and Even logic in refuting hostile critic ,or in defending some Diane of his own. There were also occasional inaccuracies in hen   his statements ,as when he referred to the tragedy of queen Gerboduc or credited Chapman with Employing Alexandrian in his homer .The truth was ,so Dryden was explain he was possessed of no very profound learning , despite appearance to the country  his critical doctrine being largely acquired in ordinary converse, and lured to account by a wise selection ,shrewd thinking and experience. “But these limitations are Insignificant in comparison with his great Achievement  and his final Estimate they cannot detract from the essential soundness of his position as a critic. He lived in an Age of changing critical values   , but still he kept his balance of mind and placed criticism on a high and sound foaling for the guidance of future generation. In 1668 Dryden published his Essay of dramatic document of his most important for general literary theory.

It is cast in  the form of a lively dialogue among four friend ,Critic ,Eugenics , Lisidius ,and Neander ,who have been identified respectively with sir Robert Howard lord Buckhurst , sir charls sedly ,and Dryden himself. They discuss the respective merit of ancient drama ,modern drama ,seventieth century French Neo-classical drama and the drama of the last Age.

The result of modification was the essay of dramatic poesy ,the immediate inactive for writing the essay ,

“published in 1665 sorbiewas a Frenchman”.

v     Dryden a great critic:-

Dryden belongs to the illustrious group of poet critic which induces such names as Ben Jonson ,Dr . Johnson ,Wordsworth , Coleridge ,Matthew Arnold ,Dryden greatness as a critic when he called him ,

“The father of English criticism”,

And his view of Dryden set the fashion of criticizing just as Shakespeare set the fashion of dramatizing. They did not take a comprehensive view of literature as a whole and connected with it.

v     Dryden freedom from rules

v     Dryden has adopted a very rational in criticism

He is a great admirer of the ancient writers and accept many of their principle. But he is not a servile imitator and changes the classical rules when he does not agree with them or finds them unfit for modern condition.

He is more interested in a work’s being good of its kind then in its conformity to any pre-concaved theories about good art.

v   Pioneer of history criticism:-

Dryden is the first English critic to make use of the historical method of criticism .he regards literature as mirror of society reflecting faithfully the characteristic of the Age,

“he says:-what pleased the Greek would not satisfy and English  audience”.

Dryden’s sense of history is shown in his remark on Chaucer who wrote “in the infancy if pur poetry”.

v   Emphasis on native Element in literature:-

Dryden is one of the English critics who never accepts France as the world’s greatest Arbiter of test. The English writers imitated the French writers ,and followed the principles of regularity and order and the spirit of good sense in their prose, drama and poetry.

v   T.S.Eliot also says in this connection:-

“The great significance of Dryden in criticism is that at the right moment he become conscious of the necessity of affirming the native Almost in literature and blended the English accent with the French accent.

We cannot afforded to forget how revolution , in their bulk and seriousness of purpose are Bryon’s analyses of Ben Jonson and Shakespeare and of his own plays.

“The imitation of nature”.