In class, it was clear we were all captivated by Pope's mastery of the English language. So I decided to do a little research into his life, his form, and some of his other famous works. I read about Pope in the Encyclopedia of World Biography and on Poets.org. Pope lived from 1688-1744. Due to childhood illness, he never grew taller than 4’6’’ (!), and he suffered from health problems his entire life. He was primarily self-educated, and being writing poetry at age 12. He became famous after his poem “The Rape of the Lock” was published. Below are some lines from the “The Rape of the Lock” I enjoyed reading.
Coffee, (which makes the Politician wise,
And see thro' all things with his half shut Eyes)
If to her share some Female Errors fall,
Look on her Face, and you'll forget 'em all.
Beauties in vain their pretty Eyes may roll;
Charms strike the Sight, but Merit wins the Soul.
He was renowned for his use of the heroic couplet, and is widely regarded as the master of the form. Early in his career he decided that in spite of his satire and subject matter, his work was best in traditional form. The heroic couplet is characterized by ten syllables per line in iambic pentameter, and was popularized by Shakespeare. Poets.org describes his reputation through the ages,which changed based on the scholars of the time:
“His high artifice, strict prosody, and, at times, the sheer cruelty of his satire were an object of derision for the Romantic poets of the nineteenth century, and it was not until the 1930s that his reputation was revived. Pope is now considered the dominant poetic voice of his century, a model of prosodic elegance, biting wit, and an enduring, demanding moral force.”
His words still inspire today, the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directly references an Alexander Pope poem, the title itself is a line, and an entire stanza is recited in the film. The stanza is from the poem Eloisa to Abelard:
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
It’s really a wonderful thought provoking film, the premise is that one can erase all memories of person if they wish, allowing any painful emotions to be eliminated. Check it out if you have the chance.
Click here to see the scene in the film in which the poem is recited:
Click here for a copy of Eloisa to Abelard:
Click here for a copy of Rape of The Lock : http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/rapelock.html
Click here to check out his Poets.org Bio:
