The English Ode To 1660 : Kessinger Publishing : 9781104273736 : 110427373X : 02 Apr 2009 : The English Ode to 1660: An Essay in Literary History is a book written by Robert Shafer and published in 1918. The book is a comprehensive study of the development of the English ode, a type of lyric poem that celebrates a particular subject, from its origins in classical literature to the end of the seventeenth century. Shafer traces the evolution of the ode from its earliest forms in ancient Greece and Rome to its emergence in English literature during the Renaissance. He then examines the work of major English poets such as Ben Jonson, John Milton, and Andrew Marvell, who contributed to the development of the ode as a distinct literary genre. The book also explores the political and social context in which the ode was written, including the English Civil War and the Restoration period. Shafer argues that the ode played a significant role in shaping English literary culture during this time,