Why Are They Saying These Terrible Things about John Dryden? The Uses of Gossip and Scandal

The Ephemeral and not so ephemeral literature of the later seventeenth century (and of the whole of the early modern world, and indeed of many other times) is filled with gossip, rumour, and scandal. As critics and historians, and as biographers and editors, the authors seldom know exactly what to m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Essays in criticism 2014-04, Vol.64 (2), p.158-179
Main Author: Zwicker, Steven N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Dryden, John (1631-1700)
Gossip
Historians
Scandals
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Ephemeral and not so ephemeral literature of the later seventeenth century (and of the whole of the early modern world, and indeed of many other times) is filled with gossip, rumour, and scandal. As critics and historians, and as biographers and editors, the authors seldom know exactly what to make of, or what to do with, this -- shall they call it for the moment -- 'information'. Ballads and songs; satires, litanies, and lampoons; characters, squibs, and sketches; essays, letters, and diaries convey an enormous amount of information -- scandalous and sensational, provocative and humiliating -- about the persons and personalities that have come to occupy their attention.
ISSN:0014-0856
1471-6852
DOI:10.1093/escrit/cgu004