John Dryden was a prominent English poet, dramatist, and literary critic who lived from

1631 to 1700. He is considered the father of modern English poetry and criticism, and the
leader of the literary scene in the Restoration era. He wrote various genres of poetry, such
as satires, religious poems, fables, and epigrams, as well as plays and operas. He also
translated classical works by Virgil and Homer into English. He is known for popularizing the
heroic couplet, a form of rhyming verse that consists of two lines of iambic pentameter. His
writing period is called the Age of Dryden in the history of English literature12. Some of his
famous works include:

• Absalom and Achitophel (1681), a political satire that compares the events of the
Popish Plot and the Exclusion Crisis to the biblical story of King David and his
rebellious son Absalom.
• Religio Laici (1682), a poem that defends the Church of England and its doctrines
against the claims of Roman Catholics and dissenters.
• The Hind and the Panther (1687), an allegorical poem that represents the Anglican
Church as a noble hind and the Roman Catholic Church as a fierce panther.
• Mac Flecknoe (1682), a mock-heroic poem that ridicules the poet Thomas Shadwell,
a rival of Dryden, by portraying him as the heir of a kingdom of dullness and
nonsense.
• An Essay of Dramatic Poesy (1668), a prose work that discusses the merits and
defects of ancient and modern drama, and defends the English tradition of writing
plays in rhyme.

No doubt, Dryden's influence on English literature is significant. His style of writing had a
profound impact on the development of English poetry and drama. His works were
widely read and imitated in the 18th century. His use of the heroic couplet became a
defining feature of 18th-century poetry. His critical essays helped to establish the
principles of literary criticism. In short, John Dryden is a remarkable figure in the history
of English literature.