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The year 1685 in literature involved some significant events.

Events

• Antoine Furetière is expelled from the French Academy.
• in London, the year sees one of the major theatrical flops of the Restoration era: Albion and Albanius — an allegorical drama in praise of Charles II, with text by John Dryden and music by Louis Grabu — is in rehearsals when Charles dies in February. A revised version fails in June when it coincides with the Duke of Monmouth's invasion.
• In June, Parliament revives the Printing Act of 1662, limiting London printers.

New books

• Scipion Abeille - Histoire des Os ("Description of the Bones")
• Aphra Behn - Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister
• Ihara Saikaku - Five Women Who Loved Love

New drama

• Jean Galbert de Campistron - Andronic
• John Crowne - Sir Courtly Nice
• Thomas d'Urfey
  • The Banditti, or A Lady's Distress
  • The Commonwealth of Women (adapted from The Sea Voyage)
• Nahum Tate
  • The Cuckold's Haven (an adaptation of Eastward Ho)
  • A Duke and No Duke (an adaptation of Sir Aston Cockayne's Trappolin Suppos'd a Prince)

Births

• January 9 - Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch critic (died 1766)
• March 12 - George Berkeley (died 1753)
• June 30 - John Gay, poet and dramatist (died 1732)

Deaths

• March 18 - Francis Harold, Franciscan historian
• April - Thomas Otway, dramatist (born 1652)
• April 29 - Luc d'Achery, Maurist librarian and author of text-critical editions of medieval manuscripts (born 1609)
• June 17 - Andrew Allam, historian (born 1655)
• October 23 - Yamaga Sokō, Japanese philosopher (born 1622)
• date unknown
  • Jean Cabassut, French theologian (born 1604)
  • Anne Killigrew, poet (born 1660)
  • Placido Puccinelli, Cassinese historian (born 1609)
  • Nalan Xingde, Chinese poet (born 1655)