Date of Award

8-20-1972

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Theology

Abstract

One of the most puzzling facts surrounding the criticism of Dryden's work has been the consistent and virtual neglect of The Hind and~ Panther. The case becomes even more surprising when we consider that not only is it the last mature politico-religious poem to come from Dryden's pen, but also his most extended and exhaustive contribution to the religious and political controversies of the seventeenth century. 1 Taken from a religious standpoint, The~ and the Panther has been placed in a clear perspective by Philip Harth's comprehensive study of Catholic apologetics in seventeenth-century England. One of the striking features about the work is the monumental task Dryden faced in two areas: wading through the various and often distorted debates circulating throughout England for and against the Catholic minority (a frequent occurrence was the Roman clergy's disagreement among themselves); and, as spokesman for this minority, his own thoughts had to be persuasive and lucid.

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