Excerpt from Dryden's Dramatic Theory and Praxis: Inaugural Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Submitted to the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Leipzig Dryden contends that those things which delight all ages, must have been an imitation of nature. The figures of rhetoric were introduced on account of the effect they had upon the audience. Even catachresis and hyperbole have taken their place among the figures and can be, when used judiciously, of great effect; like the lights and shades in painting, which throw the figures into bolder relief. Figures are principally to be used in passion, since a person does not reason rightly or talk calmly when in a passion, and then figures are natural. But the poet must be guided by a cool discretion, which will forbid anything too extra vagant in this line. The question of the introduction of supernatural elements into heroic poetry is also discussed, but nothing new is advanced beyond the remarks upon the same subject in the Essay 011 Heroic Plays: the poet has certain liberties; the Scriptures authorize the description of immaterial substances; things above us we describe by comparing them to things we know. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.