Born on 21 May 1688,
Alexandra Pope is generally regarded as the greatest English poet of the
early 1700s. His brilliant verse satires ridiculed many kinds of human
follies. Pope's biting wit made him one of the most feared writers of
his time in England.
A Roman Catholic,
Alexandra Pope knew several languages like French, Italian, Latin and
Greek. Pope wrote heroic couplets, consisting of two rhymed lines of 10
syllables each. His verse is polished and concise and shows a keen
feeling for sound and rhythm. Pope has become one of the most quotable
poets. He wrote many famous lines, including a couplet from An Essay on
Criticism that expressed his literacy creed:
True wit is nature to
advantage dress'd,
What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd.
Alexander Pope's career
can be divided into three periods. In the first, from 1709 to 1715, he
wrote An Essay on Criticism (1711). This witty poem about criticism and
writing made him famous at the age of 23. It includes two famous lines
"A little learning is dangerous thing' and 'To err is human, to forgive
is divine'. Pope's The Rape of the Lock (1712, 1714), is the most famous
mock epic poem in the English language. In the poem, Pope satirizes the
vanities of fashionable people. The Rape of the Lock tells about a
pretty young woman whose lock of hair is snipped off by a suitor at a
party. Then a Battle of the sexes' follows, and Pope states the moral:
Oh, if to dance all night,
and dress all day
Charm'd the smallpox, or chased old age away.
Who would not scorn what housewife's cares produce,
Or who would learn one earthly thing of use?
During the second phase,
1715 to 1726, Pope devoted himself to translating and editing. His
translation of the Greek epic poem the Iliad, made him financially
independent. With the profits, Pope bought a villa at Twickenham near
London in 1719. He spent his remaining years there writing.
During the last period,
Pope wrote his most serious satires. They express his belief in the
value of common sense, a moral life, friendship, poetry and good taste.
An Essay on Man (1733-1734) is a long ironic, philosphical poem. It
includes the well known line:
Hope springs eternal in
the human breast
Pope's four Moral Essays
(1731-35) are satirical poems in the form of letters. One of these poems
lighly exposes the follies that Pope saw in women and another ridicules
people who misuse wealth. Imitations of Horace (1733-1738) is patterned
after the famous verse epistles (letters) and satires of the Roman poet
Horace. Pope created a favorable picture of the poet as a man who is
independent, good and a lover of truth. The poem also attacks Pope's
enemies, especially the Author Joseph Addison
Alexander Pope's last
major work was The Dunciad (1728-1743). The poem ridicules dull writers,
biased critics, overly scholarly professors and stupid scientists. Pope
particularly ridiculed the critic Lewis Theobald and the writer Colley
Cibber.
At the age of 12,
Alexander had suffered a tubercular spinal infection. As a result of
this illness, he grew to an adult height of only about 140 centimeters
and developed a hunchback. He was extremely sensitive about his
appearance.
Alexander Pope's work at Gutenberg Here
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