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Name:- Komal Shahedadpuri M.
Course:-M.A English
Sem:- 1
Batch:- 2016 – 2018
Roll no:-21
Enrolment no:-PG2069108420170027
Submitted to:- Smt. S.B.Gardi Dept. Of
English MKBU
Email ID:- komaltara1311@gmail.com
Paper no:- 3 Literary Theory & Criticism: Western – 1
Topic:An Ancient and Modern Controversy:Dryden's sanity (contribution)
Introduction of John Dryden
John Dryden (1631-1700),was an English poet,literary Critic , Translator and Playwright who was made England's first Poet Laureate in 1668. He is dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden , Walter Scott called him “Glorious John”.
His books
1)The Works of John Dryden (1691)
2)All for Love (1678)
3)Absalom and Achitophel (1681)
4)Mac Flecknoe (1682)
5)The Indian Emperor
6)The Essay of Dramatick Poesie (1668)
Essay of Dramatick Poesie
Essay of Dramatick Poesie by Dryden , most important prose work ,published in 1668,its a basis for his reputation as the Father of English literary criticism. It was probably wrote during the Plague year of 1666. Dryden takes up the subject that Philip Sidney had set forth in his Defense of Poesie (1580) and attempts to Justify Drama as a legitimate form of “Poetry”, comparable to the Epic, as well as defend English Drama against that of the Ancients and the French.
The treatise is a dialogue between four Speakers : Euginius (favor of moderns) ,Crites (favor of ancients), Lisideius (favor of French) and Neander (favor of Modern-English). These four speakers represented respectively Charls Sackville,Sir Robert Howard (playwright and Dryden's brother in law), Sir Charles Sedley and Dryden himself ( Neander means new man).
Dryden's Aims
1) In his address 'To the Readers' prefixed to 'the essay' Dryden says that his aim was “To vindicate the honor of our English writers from the censure of those who unjustly prefer the French before them”.
2) The essay is also an attempt to evolve the principles which ought to guide us in judging a play, as well as an effort to discover the rules which could help a dramatist in writing a good Play.
3) The Essay is also a contribution to two current controversies:
(i) regarding comparative superiority of Ancients and Moderns &
(ii) the comparative merits and demerits of blank verse and rhyme for dramatic purpose.
Five Issues are under discussion in this Essay
1) Three Unities
2) French vs English Drama
3) Separation of Tragedy and Comedy vs Tragic comedy
4) Appropriateness of Rhyme in Drama
5) Ancient vs Moderns
Dryden starts this essay with the definition of Play “A Play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature representing its Passions and Humors and the Changes of Fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind”
The Ancients vs Modern controversy : Dryden's contribution
“Discussion of Ancients and Moderns should not be for who is 'better', it should be ,more fundamentally about how 'History' itself functioned and should be read , thus it should be about the relationship between past and present , human and nature and human understanding and knowledge.”
In the Restoration age in which Dryden belonged ,there were a hot debate on comparative merits and demerits of the Ancients and Moderns. Swift has treated this debate satirically in his well-known work -'The Battle of the Books'
The Battle of the Books
Swift wrote this Satire primarily to defend the position taken by his Patron Sir William Temple regarding the rival claims to greatness of the Moderns and Ancients. The essay presents this controversy in the form of an Imaginary Battle between sets of Books in the Royal Library of St. James. As the battle begins in the form of a quarrel between a Spider who had woven a web on “the highest corner of a large window” and a Bee who alighted by mistake upon “one of the outward Walls of the Spider's Citadel.”The controversy is seen however by Aesop , one of the Ancients represented in the Library. The Spider became symbol of Modern's Spirit not only by his Strengths,namely his skill in Architecture and improvement of Mathematics. Thus, the quarrel between Bee and Spider is symbolic representation of controversy of Ancients and Moderns.
Dryden, in his essay ,An Essay of Dramatick Poesie, vindicated the Moderns through the mouth of Eugenius, the case for the Ancients is presented by Crites. In the controversy Dryden takes no extreme position and is sensible enough to give the Ancients their respect. Through his wit and shrewd analysis , he remove the Cobwebs which had confused the issues and makes us see clearly the achievements of the Ancients and the gratitude of the Moderns to them. Thus , he presents the comparative merits and demerits of each in clearer way.
Case for Ancients- Crites
1) The superiority of Ancients is established by the fact that the Moderns simply imitate them and build the foundations laid by them. The Ancients are the acknowledge models of the Moderns. That means the Moderns are copy the Ancients because of that Ancients became superior to them.
“The Moderns have profited by the rules of Ancients”
2) It should be remembered that “Every Age has its own Genius, its own inclination for some particular bransh of Knowledge”. The Ancients had a special genius for drama and in their particular branch of Poetry, they could reach Perfection.Just as they excel them in Drama.
3) Thirdly, in Ancients Greece and Rome poetry was more honored than any other branch of knowledge. Poets were encouraged to excel through frequent competitions, Judges were appointed and dramatists were rewarded like in history Aeschylus, Euripides,Sophocles etc were rewarded and honoured.
Crites: “Emulation is the Spur of wit and sometimes Envy, sometimes admiration, quickens our endeavors.”, but in modern , these are nothing like that. That is why there are very few good poets of so many harsh judges.
4) The Ancient drama, superior because they closely observed Nature and faithfully represented her in their work, while Moderns don't observe and study Nature carefully, in Ancient , there is a real touch of Nature.
5) The Rules of Dramatic Composition which the Moderns now follows have come down to them from Ancient
6) Ctites makes special mention of the Unities of Time,Place and Action. The Ancients followed these rules and the effect is satisfying and pleasing. But in Modern play the Unity of Time is violated often of the Action of a play covers whole ages.
7) The Ancients could organize their plays well. We are unable to appreciate the art and beauty of their language only because many of their customs, stories etc are not Known to us. There is much that is highly proper and elegant in their language but we fail to appreciate it because their language is dead ,and remains only in books. The great man of last age Ben Johnson, had great admiration for the Ancients.
Case for the Moderns – Eugenius
Eugenius then replies to Crites and speaks in favor of the Moderns. In the very begining , he acknowledges that the Moderns have learned much from Ancients but he adds that Moderns have not blindly imitated them,but by their own labour, they have added to what they have gained from them. Had they done so , they would have lost the old perfection and would not achieve any New Excellencies. So, also in Poetry because of their greater pains they take ,they are nearer to Perfection than the Ancients. Eugenius proceed to bring out some defects of the Ancients and some excellences of the Moderns.
1) Moderns have perfected the division of Plays and divided their Plays not only into the Acts but also into Scenes. The Spaniards and the Italians have some excellent plays to their credit , and they divided them into Three Acts and not into Five. Ancients wrote without any plan , their success was more matter of good for them than real ability. Their real Fault was that did not confine themselves to any fixed number.
2) Ancients' plots have lack of originality usually based on well known story,which had already been worn thread bare by numerous poets ,while Modern have original plots created by their own.
3) In the characterization they no doubt imitate Nature ,but in narrow sense than Moderns.
4) Even their Observation of the Three Unities of Time,Place and Action is not perfect. The Ancient critics like Horace and Aristotle ,make not mention unity of Place.Terence was one of the most regular of Ancient Dramatists,but even not faithfully observe unity of Time. Euripides , a great dramatist no doubt confines his action to one day by them.he commits many absurdities.
5) There is too much of narration at the cast of Action, Instead of the providing the necessary information to the audience through dialogues ,they do so through Monologues and tiresome ,example Terence in his “Eunuch” and “ Adelphi”.
6) Their Plays don't perform one of the fictions of Drama , that of giving delight as well as Instruction. There is no Poetic Justice in their Play. Instead of punishing Vice and rewarding Virtue , they have often shown a Prosperous wickedness and an unhappy Piety.
7) Eugenius agrees with Crites that they are not competent to judge the language of the Ancients since it is dead and many of their stories ,customs etc have been lost to them .However , they have certain glaring fruits which cannot be denied , They are often too bold in their metaphors and in their Coinage. Horace himself has recommended this rule ,but the Ancients violated it frequently.
8) Finally,Ancient themes are defective, the proper end of Tragedy is to arouse “admiration and concernment(pity)” but their themes are lust , cruelty, murder and bloodshed, which istead of arousing admiration and Pity arouse “horror and terror”. The horror of such themes can be softened a little by the introduction of love scenes ,but in treatment of it they are much inferior to such Moderns as Shakespeare and Fletcher,in their Comedies , no doubt they introduce a few scenes of tenderness but ,then their lovers talk very little.
Dryden's contribution to this controversy
Dryden is in a favor of Moderns as he speaks against French (Ancients)stage,
“They are indeed the Beauties of Statue,but not of a man” , based on the definition of the Play that English playwrights are best at the lively image and imitation of Nature. It is not a question of good or bad , but old a change in cultural value. Similarly, Ancients were more heartily in their love scenes , but Moderns are more talkative.
Conclusion
The matter is not who is better but of relationship between Past and Present that how different people belonged to different age treat this with their own way, same point is also discussed in the essay “The Function of Criticism” by T.S Eliot present the views on Past and Present that we should use tradition (Ancients) not blindly but by creatively. If we don't know about past how we create something new.
“ Creat New by using Old,
don't tress of Old”
Superior to Nature as both Ancients and Moderns are dependent yet independent , any writer and his or her importance is considered by looking into the tradition ,whatever writing is not past but not possible without past . Writer or Critic should have level of understanding (maturity) and have to change with time but very few writers can go beyond the time.
Eliot strongly believes in the concept of Individuality and Originality but in a different manner that is by respecting Ancients and taking its co-operation to designed the Present(Moderns).
References
www.wikipedia.com
www.guruvishnubhatt.com
www.wikieducater.com
From material
Name:- Komal Shahedadpuri M.
Course:-M.A English
Sem:- 1
Batch:- 2016 – 2018
Roll no:-21
Enrolment no:-PG2069108420170027
Submitted to:- Smt. S.B.Gardi Dept. Of
English MKBU
Email ID:- komaltara1311@gmail.com
Paper no:- 3 Literary Theory & Criticism: Western – 1
Topic:An Ancient and Modern Controversy:Dryden's sanity (contribution)
Introduction of John Dryden
John Dryden (1631-1700),was an English poet,literary Critic , Translator and Playwright who was made England's first Poet Laureate in 1668. He is dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden , Walter Scott called him “Glorious John”.
His books
1)The Works of John Dryden (1691)
2)All for Love (1678)
3)Absalom and Achitophel (1681)
4)Mac Flecknoe (1682)
5)The Indian Emperor
6)The Essay of Dramatick Poesie (1668)
Essay of Dramatick Poesie
Essay of Dramatick Poesie by Dryden , most important prose work ,published in 1668,its a basis for his reputation as the Father of English literary criticism. It was probably wrote during the Plague year of 1666. Dryden takes up the subject that Philip Sidney had set forth in his Defense of Poesie (1580) and attempts to Justify Drama as a legitimate form of “Poetry”, comparable to the Epic, as well as defend English Drama against that of the Ancients and the French.
The treatise is a dialogue between four Speakers : Euginius (favor of moderns) ,Crites (favor of ancients), Lisideius (favor of French) and Neander (favor of Modern-English). These four speakers represented respectively Charls Sackville,Sir Robert Howard (playwright and Dryden's brother in law), Sir Charles Sedley and Dryden himself ( Neander means new man).
Dryden's Aims
1) In his address 'To the Readers' prefixed to 'the essay' Dryden says that his aim was “To vindicate the honor of our English writers from the censure of those who unjustly prefer the French before them”.
2) The essay is also an attempt to evolve the principles which ought to guide us in judging a play, as well as an effort to discover the rules which could help a dramatist in writing a good Play.
3) The Essay is also a contribution to two current controversies:
(i) regarding comparative superiority of Ancients and Moderns &
(ii) the comparative merits and demerits of blank verse and rhyme for dramatic purpose.
Five Issues are under discussion in this Essay
1) Three Unities
2) French vs English Drama
3) Separation of Tragedy and Comedy vs Tragic comedy
4) Appropriateness of Rhyme in Drama
5) Ancient vs Moderns
Dryden starts this essay with the definition of Play “A Play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature representing its Passions and Humors and the Changes of Fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind”
The Ancients vs Modern controversy : Dryden's contribution
“Discussion of Ancients and Moderns should not be for who is 'better', it should be ,more fundamentally about how 'History' itself functioned and should be read , thus it should be about the relationship between past and present , human and nature and human understanding and knowledge.”
In the Restoration age in which Dryden belonged ,there were a hot debate on comparative merits and demerits of the Ancients and Moderns. Swift has treated this debate satirically in his well-known work -'The Battle of the Books'
The Battle of the Books
Swift wrote this Satire primarily to defend the position taken by his Patron Sir William Temple regarding the rival claims to greatness of the Moderns and Ancients. The essay presents this controversy in the form of an Imaginary Battle between sets of Books in the Royal Library of St. James. As the battle begins in the form of a quarrel between a Spider who had woven a web on “the highest corner of a large window” and a Bee who alighted by mistake upon “one of the outward Walls of the Spider's Citadel.”The controversy is seen however by Aesop , one of the Ancients represented in the Library. The Spider became symbol of Modern's Spirit not only by his Strengths,namely his skill in Architecture and improvement of Mathematics. Thus, the quarrel between Bee and Spider is symbolic representation of controversy of Ancients and Moderns.
Dryden, in his essay ,An Essay of Dramatick Poesie, vindicated the Moderns through the mouth of Eugenius, the case for the Ancients is presented by Crites. In the controversy Dryden takes no extreme position and is sensible enough to give the Ancients their respect. Through his wit and shrewd analysis , he remove the Cobwebs which had confused the issues and makes us see clearly the achievements of the Ancients and the gratitude of the Moderns to them. Thus , he presents the comparative merits and demerits of each in clearer way.
Case for Ancients- Crites
1) The superiority of Ancients is established by the fact that the Moderns simply imitate them and build the foundations laid by them. The Ancients are the acknowledge models of the Moderns. That means the Moderns are copy the Ancients because of that Ancients became superior to them.
“The Moderns have profited by the rules of Ancients”
2) It should be remembered that “Every Age has its own Genius, its own inclination for some particular bransh of Knowledge”. The Ancients had a special genius for drama and in their particular branch of Poetry, they could reach Perfection.Just as they excel them in Drama.
3) Thirdly, in Ancients Greece and Rome poetry was more honored than any other branch of knowledge. Poets were encouraged to excel through frequent competitions, Judges were appointed and dramatists were rewarded like in history Aeschylus, Euripides,Sophocles etc were rewarded and honoured.
Crites: “Emulation is the Spur of wit and sometimes Envy, sometimes admiration, quickens our endeavors.”, but in modern , these are nothing like that. That is why there are very few good poets of so many harsh judges.
4) The Ancient drama, superior because they closely observed Nature and faithfully represented her in their work, while Moderns don't observe and study Nature carefully, in Ancient , there is a real touch of Nature.
5) The Rules of Dramatic Composition which the Moderns now follows have come down to them from Ancient
6) Ctites makes special mention of the Unities of Time,Place and Action. The Ancients followed these rules and the effect is satisfying and pleasing. But in Modern play the Unity of Time is violated often of the Action of a play covers whole ages.
7) The Ancients could organize their plays well. We are unable to appreciate the art and beauty of their language only because many of their customs, stories etc are not Known to us. There is much that is highly proper and elegant in their language but we fail to appreciate it because their language is dead ,and remains only in books. The great man of last age Ben Johnson, had great admiration for the Ancients.
Case for the Moderns – Eugenius
Eugenius then replies to Crites and speaks in favor of the Moderns. In the very begining , he acknowledges that the Moderns have learned much from Ancients but he adds that Moderns have not blindly imitated them,but by their own labour, they have added to what they have gained from them. Had they done so , they would have lost the old perfection and would not achieve any New Excellencies. So, also in Poetry because of their greater pains they take ,they are nearer to Perfection than the Ancients. Eugenius proceed to bring out some defects of the Ancients and some excellences of the Moderns.
1) Moderns have perfected the division of Plays and divided their Plays not only into the Acts but also into Scenes. The Spaniards and the Italians have some excellent plays to their credit , and they divided them into Three Acts and not into Five. Ancients wrote without any plan , their success was more matter of good for them than real ability. Their real Fault was that did not confine themselves to any fixed number.
2) Ancients' plots have lack of originality usually based on well known story,which had already been worn thread bare by numerous poets ,while Modern have original plots created by their own.
3) In the characterization they no doubt imitate Nature ,but in narrow sense than Moderns.
4) Even their Observation of the Three Unities of Time,Place and Action is not perfect. The Ancient critics like Horace and Aristotle ,make not mention unity of Place.Terence was one of the most regular of Ancient Dramatists,but even not faithfully observe unity of Time. Euripides , a great dramatist no doubt confines his action to one day by them.he commits many absurdities.
5) There is too much of narration at the cast of Action, Instead of the providing the necessary information to the audience through dialogues ,they do so through Monologues and tiresome ,example Terence in his “Eunuch” and “ Adelphi”.
6) Their Plays don't perform one of the fictions of Drama , that of giving delight as well as Instruction. There is no Poetic Justice in their Play. Instead of punishing Vice and rewarding Virtue , they have often shown a Prosperous wickedness and an unhappy Piety.
7) Eugenius agrees with Crites that they are not competent to judge the language of the Ancients since it is dead and many of their stories ,customs etc have been lost to them .However , they have certain glaring fruits which cannot be denied , They are often too bold in their metaphors and in their Coinage. Horace himself has recommended this rule ,but the Ancients violated it frequently.
8) Finally,Ancient themes are defective, the proper end of Tragedy is to arouse “admiration and concernment(pity)” but their themes are lust , cruelty, murder and bloodshed, which istead of arousing admiration and Pity arouse “horror and terror”. The horror of such themes can be softened a little by the introduction of love scenes ,but in treatment of it they are much inferior to such Moderns as Shakespeare and Fletcher,in their Comedies , no doubt they introduce a few scenes of tenderness but ,then their lovers talk very little.
Dryden's contribution to this controversy
Dryden is in a favor of Moderns as he speaks against French (Ancients)stage,
“They are indeed the Beauties of Statue,but not of a man” , based on the definition of the Play that English playwrights are best at the lively image and imitation of Nature. It is not a question of good or bad , but old a change in cultural value. Similarly, Ancients were more heartily in their love scenes , but Moderns are more talkative.
Conclusion
The matter is not who is better but of relationship between Past and Present that how different people belonged to different age treat this with their own way, same point is also discussed in the essay “The Function of Criticism” by T.S Eliot present the views on Past and Present that we should use tradition (Ancients) not blindly but by creatively. If we don't know about past how we create something new.
“ Creat New by using Old,
don't tress of Old”
Superior to Nature as both Ancients and Moderns are dependent yet independent , any writer and his or her importance is considered by looking into the tradition ,whatever writing is not past but not possible without past . Writer or Critic should have level of understanding (maturity) and have to change with time but very few writers can go beyond the time.
Eliot strongly believes in the concept of Individuality and Originality but in a different manner that is by respecting Ancients and taking its co-operation to designed the Present(Moderns).
References
www.wikipedia.com
www.guruvishnubhatt.com
www.wikieducater.com
From material
Ma'am, it is very useful for my academic work. 👍🏻
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