Alexander Pope Neoclassical

Info

- chief poet of his age

- satirical poetry

- aim as a poet - to render truth beautiful and memorable

- poetic counterpart of Jonathan Swift

- leading spokesman for values of Augustan period of British literature

- focus on 1) his strengths and 2) achieving perfection in standard neoclassical verse form, heroic couplets, and in the familiar neoclassical genres

- the most "correct" poet of his age

- most often quoted British author besides Shakespeare

Works - 3 Periods

- 1709-1714

- Pastorals

- An Essay on Criticism - brilliant distillation of neoclassical literary theory into verse

- The Rape of the Lock - mock-heroic burlesque

- 1715-1726

- Iliad and Odyssey

- 1726 - satirist and moralist age

- Dunciad - mock epic ridiculing pedantry and Lewis Theobald

- An Essay on Man - attempts to found universal system of morality on natural theology

- through natural observation and reason, "to vindicate the ways of God to man"; to summon man to his moral duty

Terms

- sentimentalists - 18th century reaction against neoclassicism; aim to arouse humane feelings through scenes of contentment

- burlesque - mocks subject by incongruous imitation of either its style (parody) or content (travesty)

- didacticism - instruction in literature

Citations

Horton, Ronald A. British Literature for Christian Schools. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1992.