Essays vs The Poetical Works of John Dryden: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English poetry, Criticism and interpretation, History and criticism, Poetry
Essays
The Victorian English poet and essayist Matthew Arnold was the archetypal sage writer, noted for his classical attacks on the tastes and manners of his time. His poetry is characterised by its classically poised, serene…
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The Poetical Works of John Dryden
“THIS illustrious Poet was son of Erasmus Dryden of Tichmersh in Northamptonshire, third son of Sir Erasmus Dryden of Canons-Ashby, in the same county, Baronet; and born at Aldwincle, near Oundle, 1631: he had his education in grammar-learning at Westminster-school, under the famous Dr. Busby, and was from thence elected, in 1650, a scholar of Trinity-College in Cambridge.”
Oxford edition.The facsimiles are reproductions of title-pages of earlier editions.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Essays is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 9 for The Poetical Works of John Dryden.
- Essays has the widest readership — 2 ratings behind its score.
Reception
| Essays | The Poetical Works of John Dryden | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2 | 1 |
| Editions | 88 | 177 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 9688 | — |
| Pages | 380 | 524 |