The Augustan Age (1962) examines the writing of the time, and the critical theory that supported it. By focusing on a few writers of paramount interest, the book looks at what men of letters such as Dryden, Swift, Pope and a few others have to say, set against the background of the age in which they lived.
1. Dryden 2. The New Age 3. Addison 4. Swift 5. Pope 6. Thomson 7. Imitation and Original Composition – Thomson, Collins and Shenstone 8. Imitation and Original Composition – Gray 9. Johnson 10. Conclusion
Biography
John Butt
‘May be classed as a genuine introduction to the comprehension and appreciation of the mind of the Augustan Age as expressed by its greatest men-at-letters.’ Year’s Work in English
‘Inviting to the beginner and both valuable and refreshing to the mature student and reader.’ Modern Language Review
‘A series of lucid and balanced introductions to Dryden, Addison, Swift, Pope, Thomson and Johnson.’ Times Literary Supplement
