1694 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1694.
Events
- August 24 – The Académie française publishes the first complete edition of its Dictionnaire in Paris.
- October 25 – Jonathan Swift is ordained a deacon in the Church of Ireland.
- December 28 – The death of Queen Mary II of England prompts the writing of numerous elegies.
- date unknown – Shortly before his death, Matsuo Bashō completes the writing of Oku no Hosomichi, not published until 1702.
New books
Prose
- Edmund Arwaker – An Epistle to Monsieur Boileau
- Mary Astell – A Serious Proposal to the Ladies
- Thomas Pope Blount – De Re Poetica; or, Remarks upon Poetry
- Gilbert Burnet – Four Discourses
- Jeremy Collier – Miscellanies
- John Dryden and Jacob Tonson – The Annual Miscellany: for the Year 1694
- George Fox – The Journal of George Fox, edited by Thomas Ellwood
- Charles Gildon – Chorus Poetarum; or, Poems on Several Occasions
- William Killigrew – Mid-night and Daily Thoughts
- William King – Account of Denmark
- Jane Lead – The Enochian Walks with God
- Jan Luyken – Het Menselyk Bedryf ("The Book of Trades")
- John Milton – Letters of State
- John Strype – Memorials of Thomas Cranmer
- Matthew Tindal – An Essay Concerning the Laws of Nature and the Rights of Soveraigns
- William Wotton – Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning
- James Wright – ''Country Conversations''
Drama
- John Banks – The Innocent Usurper; or, The Death of the Lady Jane Grey published
- Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery – Herod the Great published
- William Congreve – The Double Dealer published
- John Crowne – The Married Beau
- John Dryden – Love Triumphant; or, Nature Will Prevail
- Thomas D'Urfey – The Comical History of Don Quixote
- Laurence Echard, translator:
- *Plautus's Comedies: Amphytrion, Epidicus, and Rudens
- *Terence's Comedies
- Edward Ravenscroft – The Canterbury Guests
- Elkanah Settle – The Ambitious Slave
- Thomas Southerne – The Fatal Marriage
- Joseph Williams – ''Have at All, or the Midnight Adventures''
Poetry
- ''See 1694 in poetry''
Births
- August 8 – Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher
- September 22 – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, English man of letters
- October 9 – Marquard Herrgott, German Benedictine historian
- November 1 – Voltaire, French philosopher and writer
- December 22 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher
- probable
- *Mademoiselle Aïssé, French letter-writer
- *James Bramston, English satirical poet
Deaths
- August 6 – Antoine Arnauld, French theologian and philosopher
- September – Henry Neville, English satirist
- October 13 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German philosopher and historian
- November 8 – Ulrik Huber, Dutch-born German political philosopher
- November 28 – Matsuo Bashō, Japanese poet
- December 9 – Paolo Segneri, Italian ascetic writer