1691 in literature
# 1691 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1691.

## Events

* March 17 – The Athenian Mercury begins twice-weekly publication in London.
* May 5 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle becomes a member of the Académie française.

## New books

### Prose

* Adrien Baillet – La vie de monsieur Descartes
* Barbara Blaugdone – An Account of the Travels, Sufferings & Persecutions of Barbara Blaugdone. Given forth as a testimony to the Lord's power, and for the encouragement of Friends
* Gerard Langbaine – An Account of the English Dramatic Poets
* Maximilien Misson – Nouveau voyage d'Italie
* Sir Dudley North – Discourses upon Trade
* The Kingdom of Ireland
* Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz

### Drama

* Anonymous – The Braggadocio, or Bawd Turn'd Puritan
* John Bancroft – Edward III, with the Fall of Mortimer, Earl of March
* Pedro Calderon de la Barca – Céfalo y Pocris
* David-Augustin de Brueys & Jean Palaprat – Le Muet
* John Dryden – King Arthur, or the British Worthy (a "semi-opera" with music by Henry Purcell)
* Thomas d'Urfey – Love for Money
* Joseph Harris – The Mistakes
* William Mountfort – Greenwich Park
* Archibald Pitcairne and others – The Phanaticks (first published as The Assembly, or Scotch Reformation, posthumously as "by a Scots Gentleman", 1722)
* Jean Racine – Athalie
* John Smith (probable author – issued anonymously) – Win Her and Take Her, or Old Fools will be Medling: a comedy
* Thomas Southerne – The Wives Excuse
* John Wilson – Belphegor, or the Marriage of the Devil published

## Births

* February 3 – George Lillo, English dramatist and actor (died 1739)
* February 27 – Edward Cave, English printer and publisher (died 1754)
* April 9 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German classicist (died 1761)
* October 18 – John Leland, English theologian (died 1766)

## Deaths

* June 26 – John Flavel, English Presbyterian religious writer (born 1627)
* July 30 – Daniel Georg Morhof, German writer and critic (born 1639)
* October 8 – Thomas Barlow, English religious writer and bishop (born 1609)
* October 10 – Isaac de Benserade, French poet (born 1613)
* December 8 – Richard Baxter, English Puritan religious leader and writer (born 1615)
* Probable year of death – Samuel Pordage, English poet and cleric (born 1633)
