492 – The War for Perception
From Storyline | The British History Podcast by Jamie Jeffers
February 12, 2026 · 38 min · Season 10 · Episode 492
About this episode
The episode discusses the intense rivalry between John Dryden and Thomas Shadwell following Dryden's appointment as England's first Poet Laureate.
In 1668, John Dryden became England’s very first Poet Laureate.  But he had a rival.  No, not just a rival.  A nemesis. This man’s name was Thomas Shadwell, and I can’t overstate how much Dryden hated him. The post 492 – The War for Perception first appeared on The British History Podcast .
People in this episode
Host: Jamie Jeffers
Topics covered
- Poet Laureate
- rivalry
- 17th century literature
- John Dryden
- Thomas Shadwell
- perception
Keywords
- John Dryden
- Thomas Shadwell
- Poet Laureate
- rivalry
- 1668
- literature
- England
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