in English history, the period when the monarchy, in the person of Charles II, was reestablished after the English Civil War and the fall of the Protectorate in 1660.
Restoration literature covers writers active at this period, most notably English poet
and dramatist John Dryden, English religious writer John Bunyan, English poet John
Milton, and English non-fiction writer Samuel Pepys. Restoration comedy, popular
drama played in the theatres newly reopened since the time of the Protectorate,
was characterized by its bawdiness and wit.