MacFlecknoe

HAHA! This one is quite funny! Yet another satire but this one is great. John Dryden follows the satirical theme, among many other writers, but this one is mean. Thomas Shadwell was a terrible writer, both in plays and in poetry, and he was a hit. Dryden wanted to be sure everyone understood that his works are definitely not considered good literature. Throughout the entire poem Dryden plays with the formatting to make a parallel with Shadwell to Shit by writing Sh---. The readers can fill in the blank with the Sh word of their choice. Although this poem seems terribly mean, Dryden is making an excellent point. He tells the reader exactly what Shadwell does not have in his works while implying what constitutes a truly good work. Satires have a point to make, even ones that are as mean as this one. He says that all works of poetry should be: traditional, balanced in views, intelligent, proper poetic form, effective emotions, insightful satire, and should be sophisticated or learned.