John Dryden

1. Author Information John Dryden, (Born 9 August 1631, Northamptonshire, England; Died 1 May 1700 (aged 68 London, England), poet, playwright, literary critic

1. Author Information What Dryden achieved in his poetry was neither the emotional excitement of the early nineteenth-century romantics nor the intellectual complexities of the metaphysicals. His subject matter was often factual, and he aimed at expressing his thoughts in the most precise and concentrated manner.

John Dryden

Importance He is seen as 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.“ John Dryden is a neoclassical critic. He is called “the father of English criticism.”

John Dryden

John Dryden’s translation theory John Dryden, who was one of the most influential figures of the history of critical theory, introduced the concepts of metaphrase, paraphrase and imitation to the study and practice of translation.

John Dryden’s translation theory In Dryden’s understanding, metaphrase represented word-for-word translation, paraphrase, sense-for-sense translation, and imitation, free translation. 1.metaphrase, or turning an author word by word, and line by line, from one language into another; 2. paraphrase, or translation with latitude, where the author is kept in view by the translator so as not to be lost; 3.imitation, where the translator can abandon the text of the original as he sees fit.

John Dryden’s translation theory By adding a third dimension, that is to say, imitation, to the study and practice of translation, Dryden has (re)evaluated the theories established by the scholars dating from the times of Cicero and Horace. Nevertheless, Dryden’s idea of imitation was nothing new when his dramatic works are taken into account; he was only implementing t/his idea on the translation act.

John Dryden’s translation theory Of these types Dryden chooses the second as the more balanced path, provided the translator fulfills certain criteria: to translate poetry, he argues, the translator must be a poet, must be a master of both languages, and must understand both the characteristics and "spirit" of the original author, besides conforming to the aesthetic canons of his own age.

John Dryden’s translation theory  “In my style, I have professed to imitate the divine Shakespeare” Dryden. In the light of this clear statement, one can acquire a better understanding of Dryden’s notion of imitation which he imposed upon to the study and practice of translation. 

John Dryden’s translation theory Even though Dryden’s arguments rest on a solid ground when the aesthetic reasons are considered, his approach is source-oriented, prescriptive, and confines the translation act to the principles he states. Dryden's views on translation were followed fairly closely by Alexander Pope (1688-1744), who advocates the same middle ground as Dryden, with stress on close reading of the original to note the details of style and manner whilst endeavoring to keep alive the "fire" of the poem.

John Dryden

In the article Dryden deals with… Dryden claims that “imitation of an author is the most advantageous way for a translator to show himself, but the greatest wrong which can be done to the memory and reputation of the dead.” In order to be able to abstain from imitating the authors in a copying way it appears necessary that a man should be a good critic in his mother tongue before he attempts to translate a foreign language.

In the article Dryden deals with… According to Dryden translation is like drawing after the life; where everybody will regard that there is a double sort of likeness, a good one and a bad one. He points that the “qualification of a translator worth reading must be a mastery of the language he translates out of , and that he translates into; but if a deficiency to be allowed in either, it is the original, since he is not master enough of the author's tongue it is possible for him to express that sense with eloquence in his own. “

John Dryden