Alexander Pope was one of the most prominent satirists of the Neoclassical period in England. In this presentation, the importance of satire during this time is discussed, with a focus on Pope's use of satire in his poem "The Rape of the Lock". Pope was part of the Scriblerus Club, a group of satirists who aimed to ridicule societal pretensions. In "The Rape of the Lock", Pope gently mocks the vanity and superficiality of the upper classes through his description of the characters and use of mock-heroic elements. The presentation examines how Pope effectively employed satire to comment on and critique society during the 18th century in Britain.

1. The Importance of Being ‘Satirist’ :
Alexander Pope and The Neo-
classical Age
Present by : Aakash Chavda

2. Personal Information
Presented By : Aakash Chavda
Roll No : 1
Sementer : 1
Enrollment No : 5108230011
Paper : 102 - Literature of The Neo-classical Period
Topic : The Importance of Being ‘Satirist’ : Alexander Pope and The Neo-classical Age
Submitted To : S. B. Gardi, Department of English, M.K.B.U.
E-mail Id : aakashchavda637@gmail.com

3. CONTENT TABLE
● Background - Neoclassical Age
● Alexander Pope - Biography
● The Scriblerus Club
● Satire in 18th Century British Society
● Alexander Pope - The Satirist
● Use of Satire in - ‘The Rape of The Lock’
● Conclusion

4. Background - Neoclassical Age (1700-1800)
● The Glorious Revolution of 1688, banished the last of Stuart Monarch and
established William of Orange to the throne. This event marks the end of long
struggle for political freedom. (Long)
● To get votes, the people of England must be approached with the ideas, facts,
arguments and information.
● The 18th century is remarkable for its rapid social and political development in
British society. Therefore, satire emerged as a powerful tool for political and social
commentary. (Long)
● Writers of this age sought inspiration from the Classical writers of Greek and
Roman.
● This age marks the rise of ‘Satire’ and ‘Prose’. Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift
were the prominent satirist of this age.

5. Alexander Pope - Biography
● Alexander Pope was born on 1688 in London, and died on 1744 in
Twickenham, near London.
● Prohibiting the Catholics from living within ten miles of the London city,
forced family to move to the village of Binfield, this enabled Pope to make
enduring friendships with other Catholic exiles. (Rumbold)
● He learned to read and write at home, and was taught Latin, Greek and
English literature by Catholic priests.
● Alexander Pope suffered from spinal tuberculosis.
● Pope regarded as one of the prominent poet of the age. He eventually
became the first independently wealthy, full-time writer in English history.

6. Scriblerus Club
Scriblerus
Club
Alexander Pope
Thomas Parnell
John Gay
Jonathan Swift
John Arbuthnot

7. About Scriblerus Club
● The Scriblerus Club was a British literary club formed in early 18th century, it
included prominent writers and the satirists of the time.
● The purpose was to ridicule pretentious erudition and scholarly jargon
through the fictional character, Martinus Scriblerus.
● The writers of The Scriblerus Club shared similar satirical approach against
the abuses of learning and literature.
● Pope’s ‘The Dunciad’, Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and John Gay’s ‘The
Beggar’s Opera’ are results of The Scriblerus Club.
(“Scriblerus Club | Alexander Pope, John Gay, Jonathan Swift”)

8. Satire in 18th Century British Society
● Satire during this period aimed to point out the shortcomings of society,
exposing Britain’s flaws and the hypocrisy of the time.
● Two prominent satirist of the age, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, used
different medium of satire and different type of logic in order to shine a light
on separate aspects of British society. (Szwec)
● Both the writers exposed the superficial follies, pompousness and the moral
corruption of the society, during the Neoclassical period.
● Pope’s ‘The Rape of The Lock’ and ‘The Dunciad’, and Swift’s ‘A Modest
Proposal’ and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ are consider as best satires in the history
of English literature.

9. Alexander Pope - The Satirist
● Pope was a significant writer of English Neoclassical literature, so much so
that the first half of the eighteenth century is often referred as ‘The Age of
Pope’. (Long)
● He polished his work with utmost care, and he is considered as one of the
greatest satirist of 18th century. His works ‘Essay on Criticism’, ‘The Rape of
The Lock’ and ‘The Dunciad’, are better reflects his wit and satirical capacity.
● Pope has skillfully re-created and transformated the heritage
of Horace, Juvenal and Persius, into effective satirical poems
to attack the political tyranny and literary despotism. (Mell)
● There is much influence of Horatian satire on Pope, his satire
is filled with moral conviction and intellectual integrity.

10. Satire in - ‘The Rape of The Lock’
● “The Rape of the Lock”, originally published as The Rape of the Locke : An
Heroi - Comical Poem (1712), is a mock-epic based upon an actual
disagreement between two aristocratic English families during the
eighteenth century. (Rumbold)
● In this poem, all the mannerism of the society are pictured in minutest detail
and satirised with the most delicate wit, Pope has satirised the frivolous
nature of elite class women of his time.
● Pope in his ‘The Rape of The Lock’, is Horation in tone delicately chiding the
society in a sly but polished voice by holding up a mirror to the follies and
vanities of the upper class. (Szwec)
● The character of the poem represent the facsimile of the 18th century
British personal ideas.

11. Continue…
● Pope has set the satirical tone of the
poem from the beginning, he satirised
the social norms and values of his
times.
● He made a gentle mockery of the
upper class.
● Pope demonstrated the absurdity of
taking event too seriously while also
mocking the arrogance and
superficiality of the upper-class
society.
“What dire offence from
am’rous causes springs,
What mighty contests rise
from trivial things.”
(Pope, Canto i)
“This nymph, to the
destruction of mankind,
nourished two locks,
which graceful hung
behind” (Pope, Canto i)

12. Continue…
● In the second canto, Belinda arms herself for the fray like
Homeric warrior, putting on a seven-fold petticoat just like the
shield of Achilles. (Hyman)
● Pope here described the pompous and fashionable attire of
Belinda, through which he has satirize extravagance and vanity of
upper-class society.
“Here flies of pins extends their shining raws,
Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux,” (Pope, Canto i)

13. Conclusion
● In the Neo-classical age satire played versatile role by critiquing, reforming,
and entertaining society. Writers of this period drew inspiration from
classical tradition, that paved the way for rise of satire.
● Contribution of Alexander Pope as a satirist is remained paramount in the
history of English Literature.

14. References
● Hyman, Stanley Edgar. “The Rape of the Lock.” The Hudson Review, vol. 13, no. 3, 1960, pp. 406–12. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/3847965. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023.
● Long, William J. “English Literature by William J. Long.” Project Gutenberg,
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10609. Accessed 31 October 2023
● Mell, Donald C. Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 1984, pp. 137–41. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/2738324. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023.
● Pope, Alexander. “The Rape of the Lock, and Other Poems by Alexander Pope.” Project Gutenberg,
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9800. Accessed 31 October 2023.
● Rumbold, Valerie. “The Rape of the Lock.” Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-
magazines/rape-lock. Accessed 26 October 2023.

15. ● “Scriblerus Club | Alexander Pope, John Gay, Jonathan Swift.” Britannica, 13 September 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scriblerus-Club. Accessed 30 October 2023.
● Szwec, Jonathan J. “Satire in 18th Century British Society: Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" and
Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal."” Inquiries Journal, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1688/satire-
in-18th-century-british-society-alexander-popes-the-rape-of-the-lock-and-jonathan-swifts-a-modest-proposal.
Accessed 30 October 2023.