📘English Literature – 1670 to 1850 Unit 5 – Pope and Augustan Poetry

Historical Context

• Augustan Age named after the Roman Emperor Augustus associated with peace, prosperity, and cultural flourishing
• Spanned from the late 17th century to the early 18th century (1660s-1740s) in England
• Marked by political stability following the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under Charles II
• Characterized by a growing middle class, increased literacy, and the emergence of coffee houses as centers of intellectual discourse
• Influenced by the Enlightenment emphasis on reason, order, and social reform
  • Valued classical learning, wit, and satire as means of critiquing society
  • Sought to imitate the literary forms and styles of ancient Greek and Roman writers (Horace, Virgil)
• Coincided with the Scientific Revolution and the rise of empiricism and skepticism towards traditional authorities

Key Figures in Augustan Poetry

• Alexander Pope (1688-1744) the most prominent poet of the era known for his satirical verse and translations of Homer
• John Dryden (1631-1700) influential in establishing the heroic couplet as the dominant poetic form
  • Notable works include "Absalom and Achitophel" and "Mac Flecknoe"
• Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) satirist and essayist best known for "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal"
• Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) poet, critic, and lexicographer who helped define the literary tastes of the age
• Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661-1720) one of the first English women to achieve recognition as a poet
• Matthew Prior (1664-1721) known for his light, witty verses and political satires
• Thomas Parnell (1679-1718) Irish poet and clergyman admired for his elegiac and pastoral poetry

Characteristics of Augustan Poetry

• Emphasis on reason, order, and clarity of expression
  • Valued logical arguments, balanced sentences, and precise diction
  • Rejected the emotional excesses and irregularities of the Metaphysical poets
• Use of the heroic couplet a rhyming pair of iambic pentameter lines as the primary poetic form
  • Allowed for witty, epigrammatic statements and sharp contrasts
  • Exemplified in Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" and "An Essay on Criticism"
• Satirical tone used to critique social vices, political corruption, and literary pretensions
  • Drew upon the Roman satirists Horace and Juvenal as models
  • Employed irony, sarcasm, and mock-heroic elements to expose folly and hypocrisy
• Neoclassical aesthetics favored restraint, decorum, and adherence to established rules and conventions
  • Looked to ancient Greek and Roman authors as sources of wisdom and artistic inspiration
  • Emphasized the importance of imitating and adapting classical genres (epic, ode, pastoral)
• Didactic purpose poetry seen as a means of instructing and improving readers morally and intellectually
  • Aimed to promote virtue, reason, and social harmony
  • Exemplified in Pope's "An Essay on Man" and Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes"

Pope's Major Works

• "An Essay on Criticism" (1711) a didactic poem outlining Pope's views on literary criticism and poetic practice
  • Emphasizes the importance of learning from classical authors, following nature, and exercising wit and judgment
  • Contains famous lines such as "To err is human, to forgive divine" and "A little learning is a dang'rous thing"
• "The Rape of the Lock" (1712, revised 1714) a mock-epic poem satirizing the trivial quarrels and vanities of aristocratic society
  • Uses the heroic couplet and elaborate classical allusions to elevate a minor incident into a grand epic battle
  • Features the character of Belinda, whose lock of hair is stolen by the Baron, leading to a comic crisis
• "An Essay on Man" (1733-34) a philosophical poem exploring the nature of human beings, their place in the universe, and their relationship to God
  • Divided into four epistles addressing the themes of man's place in the cosmos, individual human nature, human society, and the pursuit of happiness
  • Reflects Pope's attempt to synthesize Enlightenment thought with Christian theology and Neoclassical aesthetics
• Translation of Homer's "Iliad" (1715-20) and "Odyssey" (1725-26)
  • Considered landmark achievements that brought Homer's epics to a wider English audience
  • Admired for their poetic craft, clarity, and ability to capture the spirit of the original works
• "The Dunciad" (1728, revised 1743) a satirical poem attacking the dullness and corruption of the literary world
  • Features the goddess Dulness choosing a new king for her empire of ignorance and bad taste
  • Mocks specific writers, critics, and booksellers of Pope's time, often in a harsh and personal manner

Themes and Motifs

• The relationship between art and nature a central concern in Augustan poetry
  • Poets sought to imitate and refine nature through their art, creating works that were both true to life and aesthetically pleasing
  • Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" emphasizes the importance of following nature and learning from classical models
• The role of reason and judgment in human affairs
  • Augustan poets valued reason as a guide to truth, morality, and social order
  • Pope's "An Essay on Man" explores the limits of human reason and the need for humility in the face of God's divine plan
• The dangers of pride, vanity, and ambition
  • Many Augustan poems satirize the follies and vices of individuals who are driven by ego and self-interest
  • Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" mocks the vanity and trivial concerns of aristocratic society
• The importance of social harmony and the common good
  • Augustan poets often promoted the idea of a stable, well-ordered society in which individuals fulfill their proper roles and contribute to the greater good
  • Pope's "An Essay on Man" argues that humans are part of a larger, interconnected system and should strive to embrace their place in the "great chain of being"
• The power of wit and satire to expose vice and folly
  • Augustan poets used humor, irony, and satirical techniques to criticize the flaws and absurdities of their age
  • Pope's "The Dunciad" is a scathing attack on the literary and intellectual failings of his contemporaries

Literary Techniques and Style

• Heroic couplets the dominant poetic form of the Augustan era
  • Rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines (ten syllables per line with a regular stress pattern)
  • Allowed for a balance of clarity, wit, and epigrammatic expression
  • Exemplified in Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" and "The Rape of the Lock"
• Satirical techniques such as irony, sarcasm, and mock-heroic elements
  • Used to expose and criticize the vices, follies, and pretensions of individuals and society
  • Pope's "The Dunciad" employs a mock-epic style to ridicule the dullness and corruption of the literary world
• Classical allusions and references to Greek and Roman mythology, history, and literature
  • Reflected the Augustan reverence for ancient learning and their desire to imitate and adapt classical models
  • Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" is filled with elaborate allusions to epic conventions and mythological figures
• Antithesis and parallel structure used to create a sense of balance, contrast, and emphasis
  • Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" is known for its pithy, memorable lines that often rely on antithetical phrasing (e.g., "To err is human, to forgive divine")
• Personification the attribution of human qualities or actions to abstract concepts or inanimate objects
  • Used to make complex ideas more vivid and relatable to readers
  • In "The Dunciad," Pope personifies Dulness as a goddess presiding over an empire of ignorance and bad taste

Influence and Legacy

• Established the heroic couplet as the dominant poetic form in English literature for much of the 18th century
  • Influenced later poets such as Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, and William Cowper
  • Remained a popular form until the rise of Romanticism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
• Helped to popularize the use of satire as a means of social and literary criticism
  • Inspired later satirists such as Lord Byron, Thomas Love Peacock, and W.S. Gilbert
  • Contributed to the development of the English novel, particularly the satirical works of Henry Fielding and Laurence Sterne
• Promoted the ideals of Neoclassicism, which emphasized reason, order, and the imitation of classical models
  • Influenced the aesthetics and literary tastes of the Enlightenment era
  • Shaped the development of English prose style, as exemplified by the works of Samuel Johnson and Edward Gibbon
• Contributed to the rise of literary criticism and the formation of a canon of English literature
  • Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" helped to establish the principles and standards of literary judgment
  • Samuel Johnson's "Lives of the Poets" (1779-81) provided a critical assessment of the major English poets from the 17th and 18th centuries
• Translations of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" introduced a wider English audience to the classical epics
  • Inspired later translations and adaptations of Greek and Roman literature
  • Helped to sustain the cultural prestige and influence of the classical tradition in English education and literature

Critical Reception and Debates

• Augustan poetry was widely admired and imitated during the 18th century
  • Seen as a model of wit, elegance, and refined taste
  • Praised for its adherence to classical principles and its ability to combine instruction with delight
• Romantic poets and critics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries challenged the Augustan emphasis on reason, order, and imitation
  • Valued originality, imagination, and emotional expression over adherence to rules and conventions
  • William Wordsworth's Preface to "Lyrical Ballads" (1800) criticized the "gaudiness and inane phraseology" of 18th-century verse
• 20th-century critics have reassessed the complexity and significance of Augustan poetry
  • Recognized the subversive and ironic elements in Pope's satires
  • Explored the ways in which Augustan poets engaged with the social, political, and intellectual concerns of their time
• Feminist literary critics have examined the role of women writers and the representation of gender in Augustan literature
  • Highlighted the works of poets such as Anne Finch and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
  • Analyzed the gendered dynamics of Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" and its portrayal of female agency and objectification
• Postcolonial and global perspectives have investigated the relationship between Augustan literature and the British Empire
  • Considered how Augustan writers responded to and participated in the processes of colonialism and cultural exchange
  • Examined the influence of classical learning and Augustan aesthetics on the literatures of the British colonies and the wider world