Alexander Pope: Life, Works, and Legacy

Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and his translation of Homer. He is famous for his use of the heroic couplet. Pope was born in London.

Early Life and Education

Pope's education was significantly affected by the recently enacted Test Acts, which banned Catholics from teaching, attending university, voting, or holding public office under penalty of perpetual imprisonment. He attended two Catholic schools in London. In 1700, his family moved to a small estate at Popeswood in Binfield, where Pope's formal education ended. At Binfield, he began to make many important friends, including John Caryll. Caryll introduced the young Pope to the ageing playwright William Wycherley and to William Walsh, a minor poet who helped Pope revise his first major work, The Pastorals.

Health Challenges

Allegedly, his lifelong friend, Martha Blount, was his lover.

From the age of 12, Pope suffered numerous health problems, such as Pott's disease, which deformed his body and stunted his growth, leaving him with a severe hunchback. His tuberculosis infection caused other health issues, including respiratory difficulties, high fevers, inflamed eyes, and abdominal pain. He grew to a height of only 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) tall. Pope was already somewhat removed from society because he was Catholic; his poor health only alienated him further.

Early Career and Fame

In May 1709, Pope's Pastorals was published in the sixth part of Tonson's Poetical Miscellanies. This brought Pope instant fame and was followed by An Essay on Criticism, published in May 1711, which was equally well received.

Major Works

• Pastorals
• An Essay on Criticism
• Messiah
• The Rape of the Lock
• Windsor-Forest
• Translation of the Iliad
• Eloisa to Abelard
• Three Hours After Marriage
• Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady
• The Works of Shakespeare (in six volumes)
• Translation of the Odyssey
• An Essay on Man (1733-1734)

An Essay on Criticism (1711)

This work is written in heroic couplets. The poem covers a range of topics related to good criticism and advice. It also represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age. Pope refers to ancient writers such as Virgil, Homer, Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus.

The Rape of the Lock (1714)

This is a mock-heroic narrative poem. The poem satirizes a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods.