1685 in literature

Events

• January 22 – Antoine Furetière is expelled from the Académie française for proposing to publish a complete dictionary of the French language himself.
• February – The death of King Charles II of England brings a major theatrical flop in the Restoration era: Albion and Albanius – an allegorical drama in praise of the king with a text by John Dryden and music by Louis Grabu – is in rehearsal at the time.
• June – A revised version of Albion and Albanius fails largely because it coincides with the invasion of the Duke of Monmouth.
• June – Parliament revives the Printing Act of 1662, limiting London printers.
• unknown date – The Fourth Folio of Shakespeare's works is published in London.

  New books

Prose

• Scipion Abeille – Histoire des Os
• Aphra Behn – Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister
• Ihara Saikaku – Five Women Who Loved Love
• John Spencer – De Legibus Hebraeorum, Ritualibus et earum Rationibus libri tres

  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
• Nahum Tate
• *The Cuckold's Haven
• *A Duke and No Duke

  Births

• January 9 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch critic
• March 12 – George Berkeley Irish philosopher and bishop
• June 30 – John Gay, English poet and dramatist

  Deaths

• March 18 – Francis Harold, Irish Franciscan historian
• c. April 14 – Thomas Otway, English dramatist
• April 29 – Luc d'Achery, French author of critical editions of medieval manuscripts
• June 16 – Anne Killigrew, English poet and painter
• June 17 – Andrew Allam, English historian
• July 1 – Nalan Xingde, Chinese ci poet
• September 25 – Jean Cabassut, French theologian
• October 23 – Yamaga Sokō, Japanese philosopher
• unknown date – Placido Puccinelli, Italian historian