| Fables, Ancient And Modern |
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BACKGROUND After the deposition of his patron King James II in 1668, Dryden turned to translation to provide himself with a steady income. Dryden’s education at the Westminster School had provided him with an excellent grounding in translation, which was a conventional exercise at the time. ''Fables, Ancient and Modern'' contains translations of the First Book of Homer's '' Iliad '', eight selections from Ovid's '' Metamorphoses '', five of Geoffrey Chaucer’s '' Canterbury Tales '', and three stories from Boccacio . The volume also contained a number of Dryden's own works, including "Alexander’s Feast" and an impressive preface in which he lauded Chaucer, calling him “the Father of English poetry”. Dryden’s genius as a translator is illustrated by his preservation of the original meter in the translation. Dryden achieved this by focusing on providing meanings similar to the original rather than producing an exact translation. Dryden aimed to increase the English people’s literary reputation by appropriating the greatest traditions in literature and developing them into new genres. The English public were eager recipients of his translations, and saw them as connecting English literature with the great works of the past. REFERENCES Jena Trammell, Anderson College, "Fables Ancient and Modern" in ''The Literary Encyclopedia''. A Table of Contents for the volume Dryden's Preface "Chaucer as a Poet" |
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