Alexander PopeThe Rape of the Lock
Pope’s Life Born May 21, 1688 (Restoration), London
Crippled at 12; hunchback
Never married, but involved with two women in his life
Martha Blount and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Never formally educated because he was Catholic
Gained an appreciate for the classics and writing
Conformed to strict writing rules
Greatest work (at 24) was The Rape of the Lock, a mock-heroic
Financially independent through translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey
Died 1744, Twickenham
Pope’s WritingFirst Period
Pastorals—1709 Two most important poems were Essay on
Criticism (1711) and The Rape of the Lock (1714)
Second Period Iliad translation (1715) Odyssey translation (1726)
Third Period Dunciad (1728) Essay on Man (1734)
18th Century BackgroundAugustan Age (1660-1780)
Bracketed between “rigid scholarship” of the 17th cent. and scientific/religious skepticism of the 19th cent.
Interest in society, and self as part of society All aspects—politician to servant—examined Satirized ruthlessly Writer depended on patron, but could also be
independent Printing press came of age Expanding, healthy economy Civilized society = London; exotic ideas admired
Literary BackgroundAugustan Age (1660-1780)
Basic rule—man had to follow “Nature” The pure standards of taste and judgment that
should control man’s artistic endeavors Knowledge of classics and former civilizations Strict adherence of rules and regulations Heroic couplets (suitable for lofty themes) Art subservient to Nature
Also called Reason and Common Sense Formalism stifled freedom of expression Various forms: mock epic, ode, epistle, and epigram
Pope’s MethodsPope and the 18th Century
No advantage of vernacular speech, but he used colloquialisms
Mature outlook, poise and control, careful judgment
Exposed shallow flaws in society
Imitation Re-creation of a work
Pope translated old into Augustan phraseology
Pope’s MethodsPope and Society
Poked fun at society, e.g. The Rape of the Lock Commentary on British legal system
Biting satire against others
Pope and the Classics Looked to Homer (favorite) and French classicism
Pope and Didactic Poetry Teach lessons to society “Hope springs eternal in the human breast” and “A
little learning is a dangerous thing”
Pope’s MethodsPope and Poetic Form
Heroic couplet
“Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But vindicate the ways of God to Man.”
“The Rape of the Lock”Alexander Pope
Satire & the Mock HeroicSATIRE: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or
the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
MOCK HEROIC is a form of satire that adapts the elevated heroic style of the classical epic poem to a trivial subject.
The Epic Conventions• High formal diction
• Invocation of the Muse
• “machinery” (i.e. gods or supernatural figures)
• Gods speak to hero in a dream
• The arming of the hero
• Sacrifice to the gods
• Exhortation of the general to the troops
• Catalog of the armies
• Battle scenes
• Descent into the underworld
• Intercession of the gods
• Ascension of the dead into the heavens
BackgroundRefashioned like Virgil’s Aeneid or Homer’s
Odyssey
Pope had three aims: Patch a feud between two well-known families (a
lock of hair was stolen) Ridicule the shallowness and useless frivolity in
the upper class Make fun of the epic conventions
Historical BackgroundThree prominent Roman Catholic families: the Carylls, the Fermors, and the Petres.
Fermors had a daughter, Arabella. Petres had a son, Lord Petre. Lord Petre cut off a lock of Arabella’s hair as a
joke, causing the bitter quarrel. John Caryll asked Pope if he would write a poem to
heal the breach.
Important AttributesCharacters
Belinda (Arabella Fermor) The Baron or Lord (Robert, Lord Petre of Essex) The Muse (John Caryll) Sir Plume (Sir George Browne) Thalestris, an Amazon (Lady Browne) Clarissa (?)
Places The Mall Hampton Court The Ring Rosamonda’s Lake
Important AttributesUse of sylphs
Part of the “epic machinery” Borrowed from the classics
The game of Ombre
Structure of the poem Five cantos (sections) Regular rhyming couplets
Research (due 12/12)Sylphs, salamanders, undines, gnomes and
their connection to Paracelsus
The game of Ombre Extra Credit: Learn how to play and teach us
Mock epic, ode, epistle, and epigram
Heroic couplets
Patron of the arts (FYI: Latin, patronus)