Alexander Pope

1. Alexander Pope James Adams, Amanda Korz, Josiah Ng, Amanda Villarreal, Brian Welsh, Audrey Hwang

2. Biography and Works • Born May 21st, 1688 to Alexander and Edith Pope. • 1698- went to Twyford School (Before he was taught by his aunt) • 1700- his family moves to a small estate in Popeswood (Formal education ends and has to teach himself through books • May 1709- Pastorals was published as part of Tonson's Poetical Miscellanies • May 15th, 1711 An Essay on Criticism is published • 1712- Rape of the Lock is published • 1713- Windsor Forest is published • Contributed to the play Cato by Addison. Pope also wrote for The Guardian and The Spectator • Between 1716-19 Lived with his parents in Chriswick

3. Biography and Works Cont. • 1715-1720 Translated Iliad • 1719- With money earned from translating Homer, He buys a villa in Twickenham • 1728-Dunciad (Published anonymously in Dublin, but everyone knew it was his) • 1731- publishes "Epistle to Burlington", Moral Essays 1731-34 • 1732-34 Essay On Man • 1733-38 Imitations of Horace • May 30th,1744 Pope Dies

4. Alexander Pope's Personality • Being Catholic, Pope was uninterested in university education and public employment. • Devoted to His mother and his closest friends; Arbuthnot, Gay, and Swift. • Pope always had the courage of saying about his beliefs, writing strongly to the end. • Pope was not straightforward in his business dealings, unfortunately, and made enemies quickly. • He was deeply interested in his relationship with God, but his interest was primarily poetic, not philosophical.

5. Historical Context and Environment • Test Act (1673) - severely limited Pope's education • Strong anti-Catholic sentiment and laws in English territory • George I ascends to the throne, then afterwards George II; Rampant corruption, "moral, political, and cultural deterioration" • Coffee: The fuel of minds! • Literary Boom - The Rise of Satire • Rising conflict between England and France • Rising tension between Britain and Ireland

6. Historical Context Cont. • Whigs and Tories • Most of his friends and colleagues were Whigs, until the Whig party disbanded in 1710 • Whig friends: William Walsh, Richard Steele, Joseph Addison, etc. • Whig party largely disbands • Tory friends: Jonathan Swift, John Gay (Beggar's Opera), Thomas Parnell • Rise of the moneyed wealth as opposed to landed wealth • Increasing gap between low income classes and high income classes

7. The Rape of the Lock • Pope writes of a dire offense • Ariel warns of an impending trouble • The Baron intends on cutting a lock of Belinda's hair • He does so on his third try • Umbriel gives Belinda a bag & a vial • A fight breaks out • Belinda's lock will live forever

8. The Rape of Lock - Satire • Satirization of trivial real life situations • Heroic-verse & Epic cliches

9. The Rape of the Lock - Symbolism Sylphs - a connection between earth and heaven - Canto 1, 75-77 - element of air - Aristotlean elements - Sky/air is the bridge between God and man - seem to orchestrate everything - Canto 1, 104-5 - Pope can communicate with Sylphs? - Canto 4, 165

10. The Rape of the Lock - Symbolism Allusions to classic tradition, chivalry - altars = tables - Canto 3, 107 - metaphor to knight hood - Canto 3, 127-134 - Belinda is constantly surrounded by mythological spirits - Canto 4, 11-16 - Canto 4 and 5 are loaded with Greek mythological figures - Canto 4: 52, 83, 93 - Canto 5: 2, 5, 47 (four gods! FOUR) - Canto 5, 48-52: An Olympian overreaction - gods are linked to resolution