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John Dryden (1631–1700)

Author of All for Love

300+ Works 2,690 Members 25 Reviews 9 Favorited

About the Author

Born August 9, 1631 into a wealthy Puritan family, John Dryden received an excellent education at Westminster School and Cambridge University. After a brief period in government, he turned his attention almost entirely to writing. Dryden was one of the first English writers to make his living show more strictly by writing, but this meant he had to cater to popular taste. His long career was astonishingly varied, and he turned his exceptional talents to almost all literary forms. Dryden dominated the entire Restoration period as a poet, playwright, and all-round man of letters. He was the third poet laureate of England. In his old age Dryden was virtually a literary "dictator" in England, with an immense influence on eighteenth-century poetry. His verse form and his brilliant satires became models for other poets, but they could rarely equal his standard. Dryden was also a master of "occasional" poetry - verse written for a specific person or special occasion. Like most poets of his time, Dryden saw poetry as a way of expressing ideas rather than emotions, which makes his poetry seem cool and impersonal to some modern readers. Dryden also wrote numerous plays that helped him make him one of the leading figures in the Restoration theatre. Today, however he is admired more for his influence on other writers than for his own works. He died on April 30, 1700 in London. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photo © ÖNB/Wien

Works by John Dryden

All for Love (1678) 261 copies
Restoration Plays (1939) — Contributor — 214 copies
Restoration Plays (1953) — Contributor — 166 copies
Six Restoration Plays (1959) — Contributor — 102 copies
Marriage à la Mode (1673) 69 copies
The poems of John Dryden (1910) 62 copies
Dramatic Essays (1912) 42 copies
The Best of Dryden (1933) 35 copies
Absalom and Achitophel (1966) 34 copies
Dryden (1955) 27 copies
An essay of dramatic poesy (1964) 21 copies
Five Heroic Plays (1960) — Contributor — 17 copies
Aureng-Zebe (1675) 17 copies
Dryden Poetry and Prose (1944) 16 copies
Choice of Verse (1963) 16 copies
Selected Writings of Dryden (1969) 15 copies
John Dryden: four tragedies (1967) 14 copies
Palamon and Arcite (2012) 13 copies
Selected poetry 13 copies
Selection (1978) 11 copies
Mac Flecknoe (1970) 11 copies
Restoration Tragedies (Oxford Paperbacks) (1977) — Contributor — 6 copies
Dryden : a selection (1978) 6 copies
The Reluctant Spy (2013) 5 copies
Sylvae (1973) 5 copies
Oedipus : a tragedy (2010) 4 copies
Poems of Dryden (1900) 4 copies
The works of John Dryden (1972) 4 copies
The Satires of Dryden (1901) 3 copies
Pandemic (2012) 3 copies
The Poems of John Dryden (1958) 2 copies
Don Sebastian 2 copies
Plays (1962) 2 copies
Selections from Dryden (2016) 2 copies
Four comedies (1968) 2 copies
The Poetical Works of John Dryden — Author — 2 copies
Aenid 2 copies
All of love 1 copy
Dramatic Poesy And Other Essays — Author — 1 copy
The Kind Keeper (2016) 1 copy
Indian Emperor (1971) 1 copy
Poetry 1 copy
Fables (1973) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Aeneid (0029) — Translator, some editions — 22,750 copies
Metamorphoses [in translation] (0008) — Translator, some editions — 13,076 copies
Mary Barton (1848) — Translator, some editions — 2,655 copies
Plutarch's Lives (0100) — Translator, some editions — 2,430 copies
Paradise Lost [Norton Critical Edition] (1667) — Contributor, some editions — 2,194 copies
The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms (2000) — Contributor — 1,254 copies
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 915 copies
English Poetry, Volume I: From Chaucer to Gray (1910) — Contributor — 524 copies
Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books (1909) — Contributor — 516 copies
Critical Theory Since Plato (1971) — Contributor, some editions — 398 copies
Criticism: Major Statements (1964) — Contributor — 220 copies
Seventeenth-Century Prose and Poetry (1929) — Author — 210 copies
Eighteenth-Century English Literature (1969) — Author — 186 copies
The Faber Book of Beasts (1997) — Contributor — 140 copies
The Standard Book of British and American Verse (1932) — Contributor — 114 copies
British Dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan (1939) — Contributor, some editions — 91 copies
Twelve Lives (1950) — Translator, some editions; Translator, some editions — 75 copies
The Everyman Anthology of Poetry for Children (1994) — Contributor — 72 copies
Ovid: Selected Poems (1971) — Translator, some editions — 67 copies
Greek and Roman Lives (Giant Thrifts) (2005) — Translator, some editions — 65 copies
A Book of Narrative Verse (1930) — Contributor — 61 copies
Poetry of Witness: The Tradition in English, 1500-2001 (2014) — Contributor — 41 copies
Classic Essays in English (1961) — Contributor — 22 copies
Masters of British Literature, Volume A (2007) — Contributor — 20 copies
Classic Hymns & Carols (2012) — Contributor — 15 copies
Five Restoration Tragedies (1941) — Contributor — 14 copies
Englische Essays aus drei Jahrhunderten (1980) — Contributor — 10 copies
Plutarch's Lives Volume III. (2009) — Translator — 8 copies
Men and Women: The Poetry of Love (1970) — Contributor — 8 copies
PLUTARCH'S LIVES - Volume 2 — Translator, some editions — 7 copies
Plutarch's Lives. The Dryden Translations. Volume III (2009) — Translator — 6 copies
Suspense: A Treasury for Young Adults (1966) — Contributor — 6 copies
Fear! Fear! Fear! (1981) — Contributor — 6 copies
Thames: An Anthology of River Poems (1999) — Contributor — 5 copies
The unhappy favourite, or, The Earl of Essex (1939) — prologue & epilogue — 5 copies
An English garner : ingatherings from our history and literature — Contributor, some editions — 4 copies
Covent Garden drollery; a miscellany of 1672 — Contributor — 4 copies
Shakespeare adaptions (1922) — Contributor — 3 copies
Lives volume 1 (2011) — Translator, some editions — 2 copies

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I think I liked "The Reluctant Spy" in large part because of it was different from most audiobooks. Instead of a story narrated by a single reader, who may or may not do a good job of changing his voice when representing the different characters, this audiobook had several readers for different parts, and reminded me of an old-time radio show. It was manageably short, about the length of a typical movie, so it wasn't a major investment in time. The story has an Egyptian setting, and involves a professorial Westerner being drawn into spying by a Canadian woman with whom he becomes smitten. Probably not the first time an author thought to have a young woman entrap an older gentleman into spying, but that theme is used because it's believable. Of course, by the end of the story, things start to unravel, and the spy fears for his safety, and must try to escape from Egypt with his teen-age daughter before he's arrested, or worse.… (more)
 
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rsutto22 | 4 other reviews | Jul 15, 2021 |
It's not a great play to be honest but I read it in terms of the view of the western world of Mohgul India. In that case, it was really fascinating to analyze.
 
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Isana | Jul 7, 2020 |
Preface to a Dialogue Concerning Women, 1691
A Character of Saint-Evremond, 1692
A Character of Polybius and His Writings,1693
A translation of Du Fresnoy's De Art Graphica, 1695
The Life of Lucian, (1696) 1711
A translation of The Annals of Tacitus, Book I, 1698
 
Flagged
petralex | Jan 12, 2020 |

"Et tu, Brute?" The famous Shakespeare line from Julius Caesar is how most of us know Marcus Brutus. Well, the ancient biographer Plutarch wrote an entire life of Brutus. Turns out, Marcus Brutus was a remarkable man living in remarkable times. Here are several quotes from Plutarch's text along with my comments.

"Brutus having to the goodness of his disposition added the improvements of learning and the study of philosophy and having stirred up his natural parts, of themselves grave and gentle, by applying himself to business and public affairs, seems to have been of a temper exactly framed by virtue." ---------- What praise from Plutarch the philosopher - describing Brutus as a man good by nature and a lover of wisdom who is both serious and kind in the political sphere. The ideal Roman!

But bad time to be a Roman since it's civil war: Caesar vs. Pompey. We read: "Thinking it his duty to prefer the interest of the public to his own private feelings, and judging Pompey's to be the better cause . . . Brutus placed himself under Pompey's command." ---------- Years ago, Pompey had Brutus's father murdered, but Brutus was able to put aside his private feelings and, placing his country first, supported Pompey. And Plutarch writes how "Caesar had so great a regard for Brutus that he ordered his commanders by no means to kill him in the battle, but to spare him, if possible, and bring him safe to him." Now that speaks volumes of Brutus's character -- even in a civil war, each leader wanted him on his side. And, to thicken the plot, Caesar knew Brutus was probably his son.

As we all know from our ancient history, Caesar wins and brings Brutus over to his side. But, alas, Brutus can see Caesar is an unjust tyrant and, along with his friend Cassius and other high-ranking Romans, Brutus make plans to assassinate Caesar. In his planning, Brutus consults an Epicurean. "Statilius the Epicurean held that, to bring himself into troubles and danger upon the account of evil or foolish men did not become a man that had any wisdom or discretion." ---------- Epicureans wanted little to do with the public life, especially if one has to deal with vicious fools. As it turned out, perhaps this was a bit of Epicurean wisdom worth heeding. (I had to throw this in since I am drawn personally to the philosophy of Epicurus).

Caesar is assassinated but Brutus and Cassius have Caesar's nephew to deal with, a 20 year old, also named Caesar. As per usual in the ancient world, this means war. After many battles all over the Roman empire, it all comes down to one big final clash. Now, as it turns out, the navy fighting on behalf of Brutus defeated Caesar's fleet. If Brutus knew about this critical navel success, he would have had no need to rush into the grand finale of a land battle. Plutarch writes: "But it seems, the state of Rome not enduring any longer to be governed by many, but necessarily requiring a monarchy, the divine power, that it might remove out of the way the only man that was able to resist him that could control the empire, cut off his good fortune from coming to the ears of Brutus. ---------- Ah, Plutarch was not only a biographer but a priest at Delphi. In Plutarch's worldview, no matter how virtuous and right-thinking a man may be, he will not succeed if the gods have other plans.

Surrounded by Caesar's army, Brutus does the honorable Roman thing - he has himself put to death. But before this, Brutus says: "He found an infinite satisfaction in this, that none of his friends had been false to him; that as for fortune, he was angry with that only for his country's sake; as for himself, he thought himself much more happy than they who had overcome, not only as he had been a little time ago, but even now in his present condition since he was leaving behind him such a reputation of his virtue as none of the conquerors with all their arms and riches should ever be able to acquire." ---------- Spoken like a true Greco-Roman philosopher! Brutus valued friendship and a reputation for personal virtue above all else. In this he joins Cicero, Seneca and the future great Roman emperor/philosopher Marcus Aurelius.


Plutarch’s Lives are available on-line: http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu...
… (more)
 
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Glenn_Russell | 1 other review | Nov 13, 2018 |

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