The Purpose of Dryden's "Annus Mirabilis"
1946; University of Pennsylvania Press; Volume: 10; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3815828
ISSN1544-399X
Autores ResumoD RYDEN'S first long narrative poem appears so simple and lucid LI that nobody has seen fit to be puzzled concerning its intention. Yet its purpose has been generally misinterpreted, and our failure to catch its main intent has led to a false emphasis upon certain features of it and a mistaken evaluation of its proper intellectual and therefore esthetic effect. Perhaps Dryden himself is partly responsible for the errors of critics concerning his poem, because he calls it historical, not epic, in that it exhibits broken action, tied too severely to the laws of history'-that is, it relates, without poetic fiction, things which actually happened, and in the order in which they happened. Furthermore, he says in his dedication to the city of London and its official representatives, To you, therefore, this Year of Wonders is justly dedicated, because you have made it so; you, who are to stand a wonder to all years and ages; and who have built yourselves an immortal monument on your own ruins. Annus Mirabilis, then, is not merely an historical poem, but also a panegyric inspired by the vigor, courage, and resourcefulness of the metropolis. So critics have understood it-where they have taken the trouble to discuss what seems almost too plain to invite discussion. Dr. Johnson took the work to be a simple historical poem, in which Dryden had subjects equal to his abilities, a great naval war and the Fire of London. What can be expected of such an undertaking, thought Dr. Johnson, is a series of vivid pictures of scenes and events; and the great fault which he found with the poem as a whole is that the author affords more sentiments than description, and does not so much impress scenes upon the fancy, as deduce
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