Knighted by Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh was an author, explorer, and statesman. Although Sir Walter was a favorite of the Queen, he was accused of treason by her successor, James I, making Sir Walter a controversial figure during his lifetime. Sir Walter's writing addresses the Queen's betrayal in allowing his imprisonment, as well as endeavors to disprove the charges of atheism brought against him.

The foremost author in the development of the Gothic novel, Radcliffe also produced a travel narrative, A Journey Made in the Summer of 1794, through Holland and the Western Frontier of Germany, with a Return Down the Rhine (1795), which features the same proficiency in natural description that delighted readers of her fiction.

French dramatist, poet, and historiographer best known for his mastery of the French classical tragedy, particularly through his adept use of the alexandrine line, a prominent feature of the poetic meter of seventeenth century French tragedy. He is also renowned for his characters, crafted through the Racinian view of humanity as driven by a need for acceptance in order to compensate for consuming feelings of inadequacy.

Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532-64) is a satirical epic that earned its author wide acclaim.

The conservative Quarterly Review, first edited by William Gifford and published by John Murray from 1809 to 1967, was the Edinburgh Review's most important rival.

English poet, best known for Emblems (1635) and Heiroglyphikes of the Life of Man (1638).

English courtier and literary critic, generally accepted as the author of The Arte of English Poesie, an influential critical work on poetry and rhetoric. Although the authorship of the work has been disputed, with some suggesting his brother, Richard, to be the true author, the style and ideas of the book strongly align with Puttenham's other writings, affirming his claim to authorship.

Though probably born in France, Psalmanazar claimed to be a native of the island of Formosa kidnapped by European missionaries and brought to Europe against his will. In that capacity he authored several works, including the far-fetched yet very successful An historical and geographical description of Formosa (1704) and a number of contributions to the seven volume An universal history; from the earliest account of time to the present (with G. Sale, A. Bower, G. Shelvocke, J. Campbell, J. Swinton, etc., 1736-44).

The fictional protagonist of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, banished to sea by his usurping brother, Antonio. Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, find refuge on an island, where Prospero learns sorcery from books and uses it to protect his daughter and control the other characters, such as Ariel and Caliban, whom he has enslaved. At the end of the play, Prospero sinks his books in the sea, likely in an effort to appease Shakespeare's audiences, who viewed magic as devilish.

Roman goddess of the Underworld.