Historical Characters in the Reign of Queen Anne

The reign of Queen Anne was one of the most celebrated in English history, and literature flourished during her time. This work presents accounts of the life and works of notable literary figures during Queen Anne's reign. The author wrote about Jonathan Swift, a satirist, political pamphleteer, and most importantly, the author of the most popular prose satire of all time, Gulliver's Travels. This classic was a satire on both human nature and the literary subgenre «travelers' tales.» She then wrote about English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, Daniel Defoe. He wrote the outstanding novel Robinson Crusoe, which is often credited as the first realistic fiction. She ends the work with one of the most significant humorists of all time, Joseph Addison. He was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician, well-known for co-founding The Spectator magazine.

In this well-written work, Mrs. Oliphant presented short biographies of these prominent contributors to English literature. She interests the readers with many unknown facts about the writers. It is an essential text in understanding what people wrote during the rule of Queen Anne and what were the dominant themes.