In 1674, Nicolas Boileau published L'Art poétique, a verse treatise on poetic principles. It promoted clarity, order, taste and classical restraint. The work became a key statement of French neoclassical literary doctrine.

Boileau's rules shaped criticism and poetic practice across Europe. His authority helped define what counted as correctness in drama, satire and verse, provoking later writers either to imitate or rebel against neoclassical restraint.