An Essay on Criticism

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was an English poet, satirist, and critic. He was renowned in his own age and is of significance both for his contribution to poetry and satire and for his innovative translations of classical (Greek and Roman) literature. He was also Catholic at a time in Great Britain when those who were Catholic were disenfranchised and could not own land or hold public office. In addition, physical illness in the form of Pott’s disease (tuberculosis of the spine) troubled him all of his life and is often a theme in his work.

Pope’s work, including his An Essay on Criticism, is important to an understanding of English poetry in general and the early 18th century in particular. Many lines from his poems are quoted in popular literature and film and are sometimes misattributed to Shakespeare. Pope’s best-known works include The Rape of the Lock (1714), Eloisa to Abelard (1717), The Dunciad (1728), his translations of the Iliad (1715-20) and the Odyssey (1725-26), and An Essay on Man (1733-34). Pope was also a significant correspondent; he developed networks of friends and also made enemies of former friends (the most famous of whom is probably Lady Mary Wortley Montagu).