Alexander Pope

A classic poet in the English Enlightenment

 Lecture outline
1.Pope, the person and his main works
2.Popes poetics
1) term: neo-classicism
2) term: Enlightenment
3) distinction between Neo-classicism and
Renaissance
4) epigrams by Pope
3.Popes position in British literature
4.Popes limitation
Popes life and career
weak and crippled from
childhood;
Little regular schooling
and no university
Self-taught with the help
of dictionaries and
grammar books
Widely read and
translated Latin, French,
Italian and Greek poets
 Popes Works
Popes Works
(1) Pastorals
(2) Essay on Criticism
a didactic poem in heroic couplets
(3) The Rape of the Lock
the masterpiece, which is worth reading
for its description and satire of the dull
court life of England of that time
 Popes Works
(4) Translations, in heroic couplet
The Iliad of Homer
The Odyssey of Homer (half-translated)
(5)The Works of Shakespeare
an edition of Shakespeares
plays and recognition of
Shakespeares greatness.
 Popes Works
(6) The Dunciad
a satirical poem.
(7) Moral Essays
a philosophic poem.
(8) An Essay on Men
a philosophic poem.
Popes poetics
Some to conceit alone their taste confine,
And glittring thoughts struck out at every line;
Pleased with a work where nothings just or fit;
One glaring Chaos and wild heap of wit.
Poets like painters, thus, unskilld to trace
That naked Nature and the living grace,
With gold and jewels cover every part,
And hide with ornaments their want of art.
True Wit is Nature to advantage dressd,
What oft was thought, but neer so well expressd;
--------from Alexander Popes An Essay on Criticism
 Question 1

What does Pope criticize in this excerpt?

Metaphysical poets and their peculiar conceit
an evidence to prove the marginized position of the
school
 Question 2
Whats the feature of the end rhyme in this excerpt?
What kind of poetic form does the feature indicate?

Some to conceit alone their taste confine,

And glittring thoughts struck out at every line;
Pleased with a work where nothings just or fit;
One glaring Chaos and wild heap of wit.

Heroic couplet: every two iambic pentameter lines have

the same end rhyme
 Question 3
In this criticism, what elements dose Pope
uphold?
taste; just; fit; true wit
 Question 4

Is the excerpt a lyric or narrative poem?

neither lyric nor narrative
it is a didactic (instructive) poem ---a poem aims
at imparting information, advice, or some
doctrine of morality or philosophy.
 Epigrams by Pope
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
To err is human, to forgive, divine.
One step broken, the great scales
destroyed.
The sound must be an echo to the sense.
True ease in writing comes from art, not
chance.
One truth is clear, whatever is, is right.
 Popes poetics
Function of poetry: to "correct" and
enlighten people through poetry; Literature
had the power to influence and enrich life,
to educate and correct people.
Diction: precision of meaning, harmony of
language and structure
A firm control of the form and flexibility of
styles: satiric, philosophic, didactic
 Advocate order, reason, logic, restrained
emotion, accuracy, good taste and
decorum
Heroic couplet: lines of iambic pentameter
rhyme in pairs

to ridicule all false tastes in learning

 Popes viewpoints
Believed in the education of social morality,
classic culture and scientific knowledge
Used satire to fight against social corruption
and debasement
Upheld social system as an ideal one,
saying: whatever is, is right.
 Evaluation on Pop
An enlightener
A neo-classicist
 Enlightenment

1) a progressive intellectual movement

2) flourished in France and swept through the whole
Western Europe
3) aims at enlightening the whole world with the light
of modern philosophical and artistic ideas;
celebrated reason
4) called for a reference to order, reason and rules

The 18th century England is known as the Age of

Enlightenment or the Age of Reason.
 Neo-classicism
Neo-classicists held that all forms of literature were
to be modeled after the classical works of the
ancient Greek and Roman writers and the
contemporary French ones by following some fixed
laws and rules.
prose precise, direct and flexible;
poetry lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic;
drama the three unities of time, space and action.
Literature in the first half of the 18th century,
heavily didactic and moralizing, became a
very popular means of public education.
The representatives are John Dryden,
Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, Richard
Steele and Samuel Johnson.
Literature is surely a product of its time, in
accordant with the prevailing ideology.
To set principles for literary creation, to obey
the fixed laws, rules and regulations is a full
expression of the ideals of Enlightenment in
the 18th century---the age of reason.
 Compare Neo-classicism with Renaissance. Both of
them go back to classics, modeling old Greek and
Roman writers, but why they differ a lot?
similarities: revival of the classics
dissimilarities: at different stages of capitalistic
development.
in the 16th century, bourgeoisie was at the rising
stage; Renaissance paved the way for the liberation
of bondage of God-worship in Medieval Age.
in the 18th century, bourgeoisie has stepped on the
political stage and become ruling class. Rules, laws
and regulations were demanded.
 Workmanship
1. Pope was an outstanding enlightener
and the greatest English poet of the
classical school in the first half of the
18th century.
2.He became so perfect in using heroic
couplet.
3. He was a diligent reader.
 Workmanship

4. His style depends upon his

patience in elaborating his art.
5. He was at his best in satire and
epigram ().
 Limitation
1. He lacked the lyrical gift.
2. He sometimes becomes artificial and
obscure (difficult to understand).
3. His satire was not always just, often
caused by personal grudge (resent).
 Example
Intended for Sir Isaac Newton

Who is Isaac Newton?

What are his main
achievements?
universal gravitation
three laws of motion
How will you glorify
this scientific giant?
 Intended for Sir Isaac Newton
Nature and Natures Laws lay hid in Night
God said, let Newton be! All was Light.

Do you think these two lines are enough for the

glorification of Newton?
How does the poem achieve the effect of
sublimity?
 Assignment
Read Blakes poems: Tyger, A Sick Rose
and Lamb
Read Burns poem: A Red Red Rose