Discourses on Satire and on Epic Poetry

In these writings, the critic reflects on the nature and purpose of satire, drawing on his own experiences and the classical models of Juvenal and Horace. He frames the discussion as a conversation with friends cruising down the Thames, a setting that lets him blend personal anecdote with sharp literary analysis. The essay examines how satire can expose folly while entertaining, and it weighs the influence of French criticism against English tradition. Throughout, his prose is lively, articulate, and reveals a mature perspective that differs from his earlier, more polemical works.

The companion discourse turns to epic poetry, offering an appraisal of Virgil, Homer, and the emerging English epic tradition. Dryden asks what makes a poem truly monumental and how contemporary tastes shape the genre’s evolution. Listeners gain insight into his own ambitions and the broader cultural debates that framed the late seventeenth‑century literary scene.