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195th out of 196 books
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21 voters
Selected Poetry
Though critical opinion on Alexander Pope has frequently been divided, he is now regarded as the most important poet of the early eighteenth century. An invalid from infancy, he devoted his energies towards literature and achieved remarkable success with his first published work at the age of twenty-one. A succession of brilliant poems followed, including An Essay on Criti...more
Paperback
Published
August 20th 1998
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published June 1st 1954)
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Rape of the Lock = awesome. Funny, charming, and very, very witty. Justifies everything wonderful that has ever been said about Pope. Essay on Criticism = awful. Snotty, hypocritical, poorly written, and infuriating. Justifies everything horrible that has ever been said about Pope. After an Essay on Criticism I was too afraid to read the rest of the book - apparently Pope has multiple personalities and I didn't want to encounter the megalomaniac side again.
Rhyming couplets shit me to tears. The stilted nature of much of Pope's poetry, the forced rhyme, the incessantly repetitive metre - it lack imagination by todays standards. But one can't judge these works by todays standards, Pope was clever, sublime, and incredibly perceptive for his time. There are some eloquent phrases, and some eloquent verses. Not my cup of tea, but I am a big believer in trying everything once.
The notations and footnoting were a bloody shambles as well.
The notations and footnoting were a bloody shambles as well.
Classic! There are not many poets "above" Pope!
Read for:
EN1004: Explorers and Revolutionaries - Literature 1680-1830
Technically I only read "The Rape of the Lock." It was interesting enough, after I went to the lectures and understood it better, but it's difficult to grasp if you don't know much about the texts he's parodying. 7/10
EN1004: Explorers and Revolutionaries - Literature 1680-1830
Technically I only read "The Rape of the Lock." It was interesting enough, after I went to the lectures and understood it better, but it's difficult to grasp if you don't know much about the texts he's parodying. 7/10
I like Pope well enough, but I have a special fondness for him for one odd reason - a former mentor of mine, Dr. Suter, read some of my poetry and wrote to some of her colleages about how much my verse adaptations of ancient poetry resembled Pope. I've never forgotten the compliment.
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Jan 15, 2013
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Recommended to James by:
2012 BA (Hons) English Degree
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Alexander Pope is generally regarded as the greatest English poet of the eighteenth century, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third most frequently quoted writer in the English language, after Shakespeare and Tennyson. Pope was a master of the heroic couplet.
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