Literary theory &Criticism:paper-3

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NAME: Dodiya Meghana J.
ROLL NO: 13
SEMESTER: 1st
COURSE NAME: Literary Theory and Criticism
SUBMITTED TO: Department of English
Discuss John Dryden’s Essay On Dramatic Poesy..
Preface :-

  John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright. Who was made poet Laureate in 1668.he is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point the period came to be known in literary circle as the Age of Dryden. He was a Cambridge scholar Dr.Samuel Johnson quotes him as.
      “The father of English criticism,
        Who first taught us to determine
        Upon principle the merit of
         Composition”.
About Dryden’s life :-
John Dryden was 9 august, 1631 in the village rectory of Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northampton shire. In 1650 Dryden went up to Trinity College, Cambridge.  Her childhood time experienced a return to the religious and political ethos. He was died 1 may, 1770, London, England.
Dryden’s Work:-
‘Preface to the fables’
Preface to the Indian emperor’
‘The wild Galland’
‘An Essay on Dramatic Poesy’
‘All for Love’
‘The conquest of Granada’
‘The Indian Queen’
Marriage ’a la mode

                   He was a critic of current reality. His critical observation of current reality is reflected in ‘Mackflenoe’ (1682).Her ‘An Essay on Dramatic poesy’. In this essay there are four speaker each an argues strongly as which one is better.
“Ancient or Modern? And French or English?”
           Here, we can see that discuss only’ An essay on Dramatic Poesy’. let’s see in detail .Most of his critical interpretation are found in interest in general issue of criticism rather than in close reading of particular texts.
Dryden just puts prominence on the neo-classical rules.

An Introduction of an Essay n Dramatic Poetry:-
                       
John Dryden’s An Essay on Dramatic poesy recents a brief discussion on Neo-classical theory of literature .He fence the classical drama saying that it is an imitation of life reflects human nature clearly.
JOHN Dryden’s Dramatic poesy is an exposition of several of the major critical position of the time, set out in a semi dramatic form that gives life to the abstract theories of Dramatic poesy not only offers capsule summary of the status of literary criticism in the late seventeenth century; it also fed a clearly expressed view  of the tastes of cultured men and women of the period .
Dryden combine the best of both  English and particularly French criticism; hence  the essay is a single source for understanding neo-classical Attitudes towards dramatic art. Moreover, in his discussion of the ancients versus the modern, in his defense of the use of rhyme, and in his argument concerning Aristotelian prescripts for drama, Dryden depicts and reflects upon the taste of literate Europeans who shaped the cultural climate in France and England for a century.
Crites oppose rhyme in the plays and argues that though the modern excel in science, the ancient was a true age of poetry. Lisidieius defends the French playwright and against tendency to mix genres.
Neander speaks in approval of the modern and respects the ancients; he is however critical of rigid rules of dramas and approval rhymes.
Let’s see the few points of crites attack on Rhyme and Neander’s defence:-
Crites attack on Rhyme:-
Towards the end of ‘Essay’ the  discussion turns on rhyme and blank verse, and crites attack rhyme violently on the following grounds
Rhyme is not to be allowed in serious plays, though it may be allowed in comedies.
Rhyme is unnatural in a play for a play is in dialogue, and no man without premeditation speaks in rhyme.
Blank verse is also unnatural for no man speaks in verse either, but it is nearer to prose and Aristotle has laid down that tragedy should be written in  a verse form which is nearer to prose-“Aristotle” tis best to write  Tragedy in that kind of verse which is the least such, or which is nearest prose; and this amongst the Ancients was  the lambique, and  with us is blank verse.
Drama is a ’Just’ representation of nature, and rhyme is unnatural for nobody in nature expresses himself in rhyme.

Neander’s defence:-
It is the choice of words and the placing of them-natural words in a natural order-that makes the language natural, whether it is verse or rhyme that is used.
Rhyme is justified by its universal use among all the civilized nation of the world.
The great Elizabethan achieved perfection in the use of blank verse and they, the modern, cannot excel; them, or achieve anything significant or better in the use of blank verse.
Tragedy is a serious play representing nature exalted to its highest pitch; rhyme being the noblest kind of verse is suited to it, and not to comedy.
            Crites attack on Rhyme it said that rhyme helps the poet to control his fancy but one who has not the judgment to control his fancy in blank verse will not be able to control it in rhyme either and Neander’s defence Rhyme is an aid to ’Judgment’. Rhyme helps the judgment and thus makes it easier to control the free fights of their fancy.
Dryden’s definition of Drama:-
Dryden express his views on drama that what a play should be therefore he defines drama as
   “Just and lively image of human
                     Nature,
    Representing it’s passion and
                 Humours,
    An the change of fortune to
          Which subject,
   For the delight and instruction of
            Mankind”.
According to this definition, drama is an ‘image’ of ‘Human nature’ and that the image is ‘just’ as well as ‘lively’. By using the word ‘just’ Dryden seems to imply that literature imitates human actions. For Dryden, ’poetic imitation’ is different from an exact, servile copy of reality, for the imitation is not only ‘just’, it is also lively.’
Therefore, Dryden and his friend talks about what a play should be, further Lisideius convey his views about drama as a just and lively image of human nature, they start given the view about the advantages of French and English drama.
Violation of three unities :-
Dryden’s liberalism, his free critical dispotion, is best seen in his justification of the violation of three unities on the part of English dramatist and in his defense of English tragicomedy.
As regards the unities, his views are as under.
The English violation of the three unities lends greater copiousness and variety to the English plays.
The unities have narrowing and cramping effect on the French plays, and they are often betrayed into absurdities form which English plays are free.
The English disregard of unities enables them to present a more ‘just’ and ‘lively’ picture of human nature. Eg.SHAKESPEAR’S plays which are livelier and just image of life and human nature.
To the view that observance of the unities is justified on the ground that
Their violation result in improbability
That it places too great a strain on the imagination of the spectators.
The credibility is stretched too far, replies that are all a question of dramatic illusion.
The English when they do observe the rules as Ben Johnson has done in ‘The silent women’ shows greater skill and art then the French. It all depends upon the ‘genius’ or ’skill’ of the writer.
There is no harm in introducing ‘sub-plot’, for they impart variety, richness, and liveliness to the play. In this way writer can present a more ‘just’ and ‘lively’ picture than the French with their narrow and cramped plays.
Dryden defends the English tragi-comedy or mingling of ‘mirth with serious plot’.
Dryden is more progressive in his attitude towards the mingling of the tragic and comic. In this respect he, ‘ceases to be a classist and goes over to the other camp’. He defence tragi-comedy on the following points:-
Contrast when placed near, set of each other.
Continued gravity depresses the spirit, a scene of mirth thrown in between refreshnes.It has the same effect on us as music.In other words ,comic scene produces relief, thought Dryden does not explicitly say so.
Mirth does not destroy compassion, i.e. the serious effect which tragedy aims at is not disturbed by mingling of the tragic and comic.
Just as the eye can pass from an unpleasant object to a pleasant one,so also the soul can move from tragic to the comic ,and it can do so much more swiftly.
     Dryden view on tragi-comedy clearly, brings out of his liberal classicism and his greatness, shrewdness and penetration as critic.
Ancient verses Moderns :-
Crites argues 1st to defend the ancient and objects the moderns on many grounds. He says that modern writers are merely imitating the ancients and using the forms and Horace.
The three unity of time, place, and action. The unity of time suggests that the play should be completed within a single day, but English plats by modern use long time and sometimes years. About unity of place, says crites,that the setting should be the same place from beginning to end and entrance and exit of the character business on stage.
Modern writer don’t follow the three unities and therefore they are not able to reach to the height of a classical play.
‘Father Ben’ he followed three unities and attempted to give something  best  in English Drama but he could not offer anything new in term of ‘serious things” then.


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