English · 1631–1700
John Dryden dominated English letters for three decades as poet laureate, playwright, satirist, translator, and critic. Absalom and Achitophel and Mac Flecknoe set the standard for English verse satire; his translations of Virgil and Chaucer remained standard for a century; and his critical essays, beginning with the Essay of Dramatic Poesy, founded the tradition of English literary criticism. Samuel Johnson called him the father of English criticism.