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The Enlightenment. Alexander Pope. The Enlightenment is Defined By:. 1. Rationalism: Using the Intellect to discover the world around us. 2. Understanding “the great chain of being.” 3. Satire: use of irony and sarcasm to make a point. So Far…. Who was Alexander Pope?.
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The Enlightenment Alexander Pope
The Enlightenment is Defined By: • 1. Rationalism: Using the Intellect to discover the world around us. • 2. Understanding “the great chain of being.” • 3. Satire: use of irony and sarcasm to make a point.
Who was Alexander Pope? • He was an English poet • A critic • Translated Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” • The third most frequently quoted literary scholar after Shakespeare and Tennyson
His History • Post Reformation Catholics were not allowed to be educated in London outside of Catholic schools –which were technically illegal. • He was educated by his family –mostly his aunt. • Because of his religion he and his family were forced out of London. • He grew up in the country side and spent most of his time reading. • He struggled with staying healthy –Pott’s disease stunted his growth. (He was only 4 feet 6 inches) • He also had a hunch back making him appear even shorter.
What made him famous? • His translation of Homer gave him a name. • His friends (Such as Swift) gave him popularity through association. • “An Essay on Criticism” is a poem he wrote to help define how poetry should be assessed.
“An Essay on Man” • A poem written to express what he felt an ideal man should hold as his characteristics. • It also points out where man should regard himself in the “great chain of being.” • He was also a man of great faith and expressed that as the center of man’s existence. This caused a great deal of controversy, however, as he was Catholic.
“The Rape of the Lock” • An epic poem • It is written as a satire • It is intended to mock high society and their lack of perspective • It centers around ArabellaFermor (Belinda) and Lord Petre. He cuts a lock of her hair –which she refers to as rape. • The conflict erupts in a card game which is treated like a war.
His Mark on Literature • His translations were from original texts –such as Shakespeare’s folios. • Many of the cuts and changes he made are still in publications today. Many literary scholars refer to Shakespeare as Pope’s Shakespeare because of how much of an influence he had on him.
