Pope-ular Analysis

Pope

2019-12-23T15:10:56-08:00

This essay analyzes Pope's depiction of the heroic in the Iliad in the context of critical literature, in order to determine whether Pope's own ideals sabotaged his depiction of the heroic as understood by Homer. I conclude that, while Pope’s translation is certainly original and applies poetic license liberally, he remained essentially faithful to the original text and its ideals.

Success as a Poet

2019-12-23T15:10:57-08:00

This essay analyzes Alexander Pope’s success as a poet by taking into consideration how his core beliefs shielded him from the harsh criticism that he received during his lifetime. In Essay on Man, Pope’s ability to succeed is explained by his speaker's views on mankind, the universe, and God. By internalizing Pope's personal convictions, aspiring poets can develop their own, increasing their chance of success by strengthening their sense of purpose.

What Ever Happened to... Alexander Pope

2019-12-23T15:10:58-08:00

Alexander Pope was a celebrity of his time. He suffered a great deal of disadvantage, yet he rose to fame, partly by engaging in behaviour we might label “trolling.” After his death, there was a severe decline in his popularity, when he was no longer culturally significant. His work required a revival, which occurred in the late nineteenth century. However, each age, including our own, sees through its own critical lens. This essay explores the perils of posterity and assesses the possibility of genuine historicist criticism.

The Rape of The Lock And Its Understanding of Modern-Day Feminism

2019-12-23T15:10:59-08:00

Through textual analysis that combines the literary history of epic poetry and the actual political, social and economical context of eighteenth-century London, The Rape of The Lock addresses social issues experienced by women. Pope is sympathetic towards Belinda and the confined role of women within the male-dominant public sphere of eighteenth-century London. The poem moves from an opening mockery of coquettes to a closing seriousness assessing women’s social position. Pope’s physical challenges resonate with women’s struggle for authority in the public sphere. The Rape of The Lock functions as a parable for women, illustrating the superficiality of women empowerment through consumption/the materialization of beauty and social relations.

Windsor Forest

2019-12-23T15:13:48-08:00

Satire is primarily understood as a bold, Swift attack on target to the effect of ridiculing their position in order for a disposition of moral goodness to be instilled and good sense to return. Alexander Pope is a figure described by Byron as the "moral poet of all humanity," yet is described by some modern scholars as morally bankrupt in his personal life. In his poem responding to the brokerage of peace between Britain and France, Pope outwardly embraces the public narrative of celebration, peace, and empire, while discretely extolling doubt.

Analyzing Urban Space in Pope's Poetry

2019-12-23T15:11:01-08:00

This paper focuses on how Alexander Pope’s The Dunciad portrays cities as reminiscent of mountains. Pope represents London as consumed with dullness, losing its culture. At the same time, Pope’s London is similar to mountains in shape and uniqueness. Mountains evoke ideas of firmness and consistency, which are present within cities. Dulness functions in a similar manner to a rainstorm, while cities remain firm. The paper uses Hammond’s work on the idea of history and cultural heritage as situating the city within a historical sense. The relationship between the footnotes on the page and actual text also relate to the idea of stability embodied in mountains. Pope’s depiction of London forces readers to consider the similar resiliency and strength embodied by cities..

Mask, Mirror, and Weapon

2019-12-23T15:11:02-08:00

Alexander Pope is infamous for using satire and spite to ridicule many targets. Through clever implementation of mockery and wordplay, Pope aims these critiques at famous writers such as Cibber and at wider institutions such as the church. Pope was the victim of a variety of forms of marginalization and in an attempt to preserve his status, Pope reverses the prejudices he has experienced by aiming his mockery towards those he deems threats and sources of exclusion.

The Presence of Pope in Eloisa to Abelard

2019-12-23T15:11:02-08:00

In Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard Eloisa acts as the speaker, lamenting over the conflict between her feelings for her lost lover Abelard and her religious devotion to God. I argue that Eloisa is not an autonomous and fictional character created by Pope, but an extension of his real emotions created in order to draw sympathy. Pope makes Eloisa appear more realistic by stylizing the poem as a real letter with Eloisa as the writer, referring to the physical act of writing the letter. Pope also introduces the poem in his own voice, creating a distinction between himself and Eloisa. Eloisa draws sympathy for herself by expressing her griefs with strong emotions, but the grief, in actuality, belongs to Pope, as he reveals in the end of the poem. Pope’s presence in the poem is obscured until the end in order to make Eloisa appear as an authentic person rather than a fictional character. By creating the character of Eloisa and lamenting his sorrows through her voice, Pope ultimately draws the readers’ sympathy for himself.

Pope's Ideal in "An Essay on Criticism"

2019-12-23T15:11:03-08:00

This article attempts to understand the speaker in Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" in terms of Pope's biography and his ideals. In this attempt, it covers the parallelisms that the poem draws between life and literature, art and aesthetics, and criticism and character. It concludes with the idea that the speaker of the poem is not Pope himself but an inspiring ideal, calling forth artists and critics, Pope included, to produce moving works of art.

Pope's Horatian Mask

2019-12-23T15:11:04-08:00

Alexander Pope’s early use of Horatian satire and his imitations of Horace’s works are well known, yet the motivations behind the relationship remain under-examined. I argue that Pope consciously manipulates his and Horace’s relationship in order to protect and further his self-interests, using Horace as a mask to cover his more aggressive satire. I begin by exploring Horace’s reception in early eighteenth-century England, before exploring the difference between Horace the moralist and Horace the satirist. I document Pope’s career as he progresses from Horatian moral works, to mild Horatian satire, before moving to more aggressive satire separate from Horace’s influence. Examples of this progression take the reader through Pope’s major works before focusing on The Imitations of Horace. I analyze the satire, irony, and motivations of these in the context of Pope’s artistic development. By grounding the examination of Pope’s partnership with Horace in both a historical framework and a critical one, I aim to explore a relationship that defined Pope’s career and provide deeper context for many of Pope’s major works.

Introduction to Pope-ular Analysis

2019-12-23T15:10:56-08:00

A Review of "Living on the Margin: Alexander Pope and the Rural Ideal" By Claudia Thomas Kairoff

2019-12-23T15:11:06-08:00

Pope-lexing Contradictions

2019-12-23T15:11:06-08:00

Review of “The Politics of Alexander Pope’s Urbanity”

2019-12-23T15:11:06-08:00

Perception of Power

2019-12-23T15:11:07-08:00

A Review of “Pope, Swift, and the Poetics of Posterity” by Seth Rudy

2019-12-23T15:11:07-08:00

Alexander Pope and Iconic Versification

2019-12-23T15:11:07-08:00

Mimetic Theory and The Dunciad

2019-12-23T15:11:07-08:00

A Review of William Bowman Piper’s “The Conversational Poetry of Pope”

2019-12-23T15:11:08-08:00

Eloisa’s Sacrifice

2019-12-23T15:11:08-08:00

Review of “Alexander Pope: Unlocking the Key”

2019-12-23T15:11:09-08:00

Review of Robert A. Erickson's “Pope and Rapture”

2019-12-23T15:11:09-08:00

Broich on Pope, Heroes, and Satire

2019-12-23T15:11:09-08:00

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Poetry Introduction

2019-12-23T15:11:10-08:00

Ding Dong Ditch

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Abelard to Eloise

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Sandwiched Satire

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Abelard to Eloisa

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Epistle to Mr. Pope

2019-12-23T15:11:11-08:00