1697 In Literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1697.

Events

* May 7 – The 13th century royal Tre Kronor ("Three Crowns") castle in Stockholm burns to the ground and a large portion of the royal library is destroyed.
*The actors of the Comédie-Italienne in Paris announce a performance of ''La fausse prude'' (The False Hypocrite), a play that ridicules King Louis XIV of France's wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, which causes the King to disband the company.
*George Farquhar arrives in London from Dublin.
* Thomas Corneille publishes his translation of Ovid's '' Metamorphoses'' into French.
*Daniel Defoe's ''An Essay Upon Projects'' suggests insurance, an income tax and the education of women, among other public measures.
*First publication of the 13th century '' Heimskringla'' in Old Norse, with Swedish and Latin translations by Johan Peringskiöld in Stockholm

New books

Prose

* Mary Astell – ''A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part II''
* Pierre Bayle – ' (''Historical and Critical Dictionary'', first part, publication continued until 1702)
* Richard Blackmore – ''King Arthur''
* Thomas Burnet – ''Remarks upon An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding'' (on John Locke)
* William Congreve – ''The Birth of the Muse''
* William Dampier – '' A New Voyage Round the World''
*Daniel Defoe – ''An Essay Upon Projects''
* John Dryden
**'' Alexander's Feast; or, The Power of Musique'' (ode)
**''The Works of Virgil''
* John Evelyn – ''Numismata: A discourse of medals''
* Jane Lead – ''A Fountain of Gardens''
*John Locke
**''A Letter to the Right Reverend Edward Ld Bishop of Worcester''
**''Mr Locke's Reply to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Worcester's Answer to his Letter''
**''A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity''
*Charles Perrault (as Pierre Perrault Darmancourt) – ' (Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals: Tales of Mother Goose)
* John Phillips – '
* Humphrey Prideaux – ''The True Nature of Imposture Fully Display'd in the Life of Mahomet''
* John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester – ''Familiar Letters''
* William Wotton – ''Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning'' (setting off the English "quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns")

Drama

*Anonymous (A Young Lady) – ''The Unnatural Mother''
* Colley Cibber – '' Woman's Wit''
* William Congreve – '' The Mourning Bride''
* John Dennis – ''A Plot and No Plot''
*Thomas Dilke – ''The City Lady, or Folly Reclaimed''
* Thomas D'Urfey
**''Cinthia and Endimion'' (opera)
**''The Intrigues at Versailles; or, A Jilt in all Humours''
* James Drake – '' The Sham Lawyer''
* Charles Gildon – ''The Roman Brides Revenge''
* Charles Hopkins – ''Boadicea, Queen of Britain''
* Peter Anthony Motteux – ''The Novelty, or Every Act a Play''
* Mary Pix
**''The Deceiver Deceiv'd''
**''The Innocent Mistress''
* George Powell – ''The Imposture Defeated, or a Trick to Cheat the Devil''
* Jacques Pradon – ''Scipion''
* Elkanah Settle – ''The World in the Moon''
*John Vanbrugh
**''Aesop''
**'' The Provoked Wife''
**'' The Relapse'' (performed 1696, published 1697)

Births

* April 1 - Abbé Prévost, French writer (died 1763)
* June 16 – Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye, French historian, classicist and lexicographer (died 1781)
* December 27 – Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer (died 1754)

Deaths

*February 5 – Hester Biddle (Esther Biddle), English Quaker writer (born c. 1629)
* March 1 – Francesco Redi, Tuscan physician, naturalist and poet (born 1626)
* June 7 – John Aubrey, English memoirist (born 1626)
* December 9 – Scipion Abeille, French surgeon and poet (year of birth unknown)
*''Unknown date'' – Juan del Valle y Caviedes, Spanish Peruvian poet (born 1645)
*''Probable year of death'' – Gilbert Clerke, English mathematician, natural philosopher and theologian (born 1626)

References

{{Year in literature article categories

Years of the 17th century in literature