In the 17th century, hierarchies were common within art forms: history painting was valued above still life and courtly music above folk songs. The hierarchy between different art forms, however, was a prominent debate. John Dryden, keenly aware of this, did not confine himself to addressing matters of solely words. He engaged with the art forms across his poetry, confronting the strengths of painting and music as well as how they related to literature. By balancing intermedium artistic materials with close readings of Dryden's poetry, this essay will examine Dryden's views on painting, music and literature to determine whether within his rich complements of each art form creates a hierarchy of their value. Ultimately, I will argue that while Dryden displays immense respect for painting and music, he elevates literature to be inherently superior over other art forms.
E. Sharon Mason (Fri,) studied this question.