1698 in literature

Events

• March – In his Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage, clergyman Jeremy Collier attacks leading contemporary dramatists for moral shortcomings in their works. Collier's book launches a controversy that dominates the literary world of Britain for the year; future editions of the book continue the controversy until Collier's death in 1726.
• The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge is formed by the Reverend Thomas Bray.
• The latest edition of the Bay Psalm Book is the first to include music.

  New books

Prose

• Anonymous – The Maxims of the Saints Explained, Concerning the Interiour Life
• Francis Atterbury – A Discourse Occasion'd by the Death of the Right Honourable the Lady Cutts
• Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet – Relation sur le quiétisme
• Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery – Dr. Bentley's Dissertations on the Epistles of Phalaris, and the Fables of Aesop
• Cornelis de Bruijn – Reizen van Cornelis de Bruyn door de vermaardste Deelen van Klein Asia
• John Bunyan – The Heavenly Foot-Man; or, A Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven
• Jeremy Collier – A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage
• William Congreve – Amendments of Mr Collier's False and Imperfect Citations
• Daniel Defoe
• *An Enquiry into the Occasional Conformity of Dissenters, in Cases of Preferment
• *The Poor Man's Plea
• John Dennis – The Usefulness of the Stage, to the Happiness of Mankind, to Government and to Religion
• John Dunton –
• Andrew Fletcher – A Discourse of Government with Relation to Militia's
• George Fox – A Collection of Many Select and Christian Epistles, Letters and Testimonials
• Charles Gildon – The Lives and Characters of the English Dramatic Poets
• Robert Gould – A Satyr Against Wooing
• Charles Leslie – A Short and Easie Method with the Deists
• Edmund Ludlow – Memoirs of Edmund Ludlow Esq.
• Maximilien Misson – Mémoires et observations faites par un voyageur en Angleterre
• Walter Pope – Moral and Political Fables, Ancient and Modern
• George Ridpath – The Stage Condemn'd
• Elkanah Settle – A Defence of Dramatick Poetry
• Algernon Sidney – Discourses Concerning Government
• Tooke's Pantheon of the Heathen Gods and Illustrious Heroes
• John Vanbrugh – A Short Vindication of The Relapse and The Provok'd Wife, from Immorality and Prophaneness by the Author
• Ned Ward
• *The London Spy
• *A Trip to Jamaica
• Benjamin Whichcote – Select Sermons of Dr. Whichcot

  Drama

• Catherine Trotter Cockburn – The Fatal Friendship
• John Crowne – Caligula
• Thomas Dilke – The Pretenders
• Thomas D'Urfey – The Campaigners
• George Farquhar – Love and a Bottle
• Charles Gildon – Phaeton; or, The Fatal Divorce
• George Granville – The Heroick Love
• Peter Anthony Motteux – Beauty in Distress
• John Oldmixon – Amintas
• William Philips – The Revengeful Queen
• Mary Pix – Queen Catharine, or, The Ruins of Love
• Edward Ravenscroft – The Italian Husband

  Poetry

• Charles Hopkins – White-hall; or, The Court of England
• John Hughes – The Triumph of Peace
• See also 1698 in poetry

  Births

• January 3 – Metastasio, born Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, Italian poet and opera librettist
• January 10? – Richard Savage, English poet
• May 8 – Henry Baker, English poet and naturalist
• July 19 – Johann Jakob Bodmer, Swiss author
• November 28 – Charlotta Frölich, Swedish poet and political writer
• December 24 – William Warburton, English critic
• Unknown date – Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair, Scottish Gaelic poet

  Deaths

• January 14 – Jacques Pradon, French dramatist
• February 7 – Richard Adams, English theologian
• February 11 – Anna Åkerhielm, Swedish writer and traveller
• March 2 – Jacques Quétif, French bibliographer
• July 18 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian
• August 25 – Fleetwood Sheppard, English courtier and literary wit
• September 3 – Sir Robert Howard, English dramatist and politician
• October 11 – William Molyneux, Irish philosopher and political writer
• December 11 – Elizabeth van der Woude, Dutch traveler and author
• Unknown dates
• *Antoine Arnauld, French memoirist
• *Francesco Negri, Italian travel writer