Points regarding Alexander pope's life and his most famous work "Rape of the lock".

1. Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Introduction:
 Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May
1744) was an 18th-century English poet.
 He is best known for his satirical verse,
including Essay on Criticism, The Rape of
the Lock and for his translation of Homer.
 He is the second-most frequently quoted
writer in The Oxford Dictionary of
Quotations after Shakespeare
Prepared by: Murk

2. Life:
 A translator, wit, satirist & English poet of 18th
century Neo Classical age.
 Pope was born in a Catholic family &
Catholics were subject to law, couldn’t rise in
society.
 Pope was taught to read by his aunt and went
two catholic schools in 1698-1699
 Early Health Problems: From the age of 12,
he suffered from Pott's disease (a form
of tuberculosis that affects the spine).
 He grew to a height of only 4.6ft

3.  Pope was already removed from society because he
was Catholic; his poor health only alienated him
further
 Due to his disease pope’s formal education ended and
from then on he educated himself by reading the classical
work of writers such as Homer & Virgil etc
 got so fascinated/inspired that almost all of his works are
influenced by Homer & Virgil & show love for classical
text
 He was highly intellectual. & Considered as the greatest
poet of the classical period. He is ‘prince of classicism’

4. Major works of Pope
1709: Pastorals (first work)
1711: An Essay on Criticism
1712: The Rape of the Lock
1713: Windsor Forest
1715-1720: Translation of the Iliad
1723–1725: The Works of Shakespear, in Six Volumes
1725–1726: Translation of the Odyssey
1733–1734: Essay on Man

5. Rape of the Lock (1712)
 Mock-epic poem written in heroic couplets consists of
five cantos
 Background: A long humorous mock-epic poem by
alexander pope, based on an actual event about a
British nobleman (lord petre). Who cuts off the lock
(chunk of hair) off of a woman’s (Arabella) head.
Petre’s daring theft of the lock set off a battle between
two royal families So John caryll (friend of pope &
two families) persuaded the great writer to pen a
literary work satirizing the absurdity & silliness of the
ermor)
The result was one of the greatest satirical poems in all
of english literature.

6.  Murk Razzaque