JOHN DRYDEN (aug 9, 1631 – may 1, 1700)
Description:
John Dryden, British poet, dramatist, and literary critic. Dryden was educated at the University of Cambridge. His poetry celebrating the Restoration so pleased Charles II that he was named poet laureate (1668) and then royal historiographer. Even after losing the laureateship and his court patronage in 1688 with the accession of William III, he succeeded in dominating the literary scene with his numerous works, many attuned to politics and public life. His Of Dramatick Poesie (1668) was the first substantial piece of modern dramatic criticism. He was England’s greatest verse satirist, producing the masterpieces Absalom and Achitophel (1681) and Mac Flecknoe (1682).Added to timeline:
Date:
aug 9, 1631
may 1, 1700
~ 68 years