The success of his Essay on Criticism (published in 1711) brought Pope a wider circle of friends, notably Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, who were then collaborating on the journal The Spectator. To this journal Pope contributed the most original of his pastorals, “The Messiah” (1712). He was clearly influenced by The Spectator’s policy of correcting public morals by witty admonishment, and in this vein he wrote the first version of his mock-epic, The Rape of the Lock (two canto version, 1712; five canto version, 1714), to reconcile two Catholic families. It was John Caryll who brought the family quarrel to the attention of Pope. Lord Petre had stolen a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor’s hair, which caused an animosity between the Petres and the Fermors, who had lived in great friendship before. Caryll had been staying with Lord Petre at Ingatestone in Essex, which was the assumed setting of the ‘rape’.1 “Caryll suggested that Pope should ‘write a poem to make a jest of it, and laugh them together again’.”2 Pope treated the dispute between the families as though it were comparable to the mighty quarrel between Greeks and Trojans, which had been Homer’s theme. Telling the story with all the pomp and circumstance of epic made not only the participants in the quarrel but also the society they lived in seem ridiculous.
“The Rape owes its richness and resonance to its overstructure of powerful, dangerous motifs.”3 With this opinion, Warren rejects the romantic view of the Rape as a ‘filigree artifice’ of the play with the fires of sex and religion, and he substantiates his argument with the notion that religion in Pope’s mock-epic is replaced by the Baron’s and Belinda’s “altars to Pride and Love”.
[...]
1 Cf. eg. Cunningham, J. S.: Pope: The Rape of the Lock. London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1970 (1st ed. 1961), p. 9f. Hereafter cited as: Cunningham, J. S.: Pope: The Rape of the Lock.
2 Notes to The Rape of the Lock in: Pope, Alexander: The Rape of the Lock. In: Alexander Pope. A selection of his finest poems (Oxford Poetry Library). Ed. Pat Rogers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 185. Hereafter cited as: Pope, Alexander: The Rape of the Lock.
3 Warren, Austin: “The Rape of the Lock as Burlesque.” (Extract) In: Critics on Pope. Readings in Literary Criticism (series). Ed. Judith O’Neill. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1973, p. 81.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Pope and the genre of mock-epic
3 The Rape of the Lock – A versified mockery of folly and pride
3.1 The plot
3.2 The sylph machinery
3.3 The aim of The Rape of the Lock
4 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock as a seminal example of the mock-epic genre, analyzing how the author satirizes the vanity and superficiality of the Augustan beau monde. The research explores the tension between trivial subject matter and the grandiosity of the epic style, ultimately investigating how Pope employs literary allusion and moral critique to address the vices of his contemporaries.
- Analysis of the mock-epic genre and its classical origins.
- Exploration of the "sylph machinery" as a narrative and symbolic device.
- Investigation of the central theme of pride and the "fall" of the protagonist.
- Critique of gender roles and the "cynical gallantry" of the period.
- The relationship between literary allusion and social satire.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The plot
The opening paragraph of The Rape of the Lock alludes to the triviality of the episode that is described in the poem: “What dire offence from amorous causes springs / What mighty contests rise from trivial things, / [...] Slight is the subject, but not so the praise / [...].” By choosing an epic form to expose the triviality of the matter, Pope succeeded in emphasizing the pettiness and small-mindedness of English Augustan society. By placing the episode in a classical epic, Pope provided his poem with a “ ‘rich and edifying’ contrast against which the vanity and pretentiousness of the beau monde can be judged.” The admission of the ‘slightness’ of the poem’s theme echoes, according to Cunningham, Virgil’s fourth Georgic, as it was “the classical example of making mundane material ‘considerable enough’ by means of dignified treatment.” Moreover, the opening lines display the discrepancy between “the world of heroic passions and conflicts, on the one hand, and the microcosm of modish amours and scandal, on the other [...].”
In Canto I, Belinda, “the young court beauty”, is still asleep. Her long rest and the fact that she owns a dressing-table with unnumerable caskets of ‘puffs’ and ‘powders’ immediately convey to the reader her aristocratic status. After signalling to her maid in the room below by ringing the bell and knocking on the floor with her slipper, Belinda slides back into a day-dream. She drifts off into a reverie, having a vision of a handsome beau “([t]hat ev’n in slumber caused her cheek to glow)”, who compliments her by terming her the centre of a world of ethereal beauty. The beau is her guardian sylph, Ariel, who explains to her that “thousand bright inhabitants of air” fly like a “militia” around their protégé to guard her virgin chastity.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the origin of the poem, detailing how it was written to reconcile two quarreling families by mocking the triviality of their dispute through the lens of classical epic.
2 Pope and the genre of mock-epic: Explains the stylistic and structural foundations of the mock-heroic genre, illustrating how Pope uses big words for trivial actions to highlight the lack of heroism in his own age.
3 The Rape of the Lock – A versified mockery of folly and pride: Analyzes the narrative trajectory of the poem, focusing on the social satire and the ironic treatment of character development.
3.1 The plot: Describes the progression of the poem from the morning ritual to the card game, examining how the trivial events are elevated to epic importance.
3.2 The sylph machinery: Discusses the supernatural element of the poem, exploring the influence of the Rosicrucian doctrine and its function as a commentary on the superficiality of Belinda's world.
3.3 The aim of The Rape of the Lock: Examines the underlying moral purpose of the poem, specifically focusing on the damnation of pride and the satirization of gender dynamics.
4 Conclusion: Synthesizes the arguments, noting that while the poem is a sharp satire of societal vanity, it remains a brilliant example of the poetry of allusion that captures the spirit of the neo-classical age.
Keywords
Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, Mock-Epic, Augustan Society, Satire, Belinda, Sylph Machinery, Pride, Literary Allusion, Heroic Couplet, Beau Monde, Gender Roles, Moral Fault, Neo-classicism, Vanity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The paper focuses on Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock, analyzing it as a mock-epic poem that satirizes the trivialities of Augustan high society.
What are the central themes of the poem as discussed here?
The central themes include the vanity and pride of the beau monde, the critique of societal superficiality, and the gendered dynamics of eighteenth-century moral judgment.
What is the main objective of the author in writing this paper?
The objective is to demonstrate how Pope uses the structure of classical epic to expose the emptiness of contemporary manners and the unheroic nature of his age.
Which scientific or literary methods are applied?
The paper utilizes literary analysis, structuralist interpretation of the mock-epic genre, and biographical/historical contextualization of Pope's work.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body covers the plot structure, the inclusion and function of the sylph machinery, and the moral implications of the poem's depiction of female characters.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include mock-epic, social satire, pride, Belinda, the sylph machinery, and Augustan society.
How does the sylph machinery contribute to the satire?
The sylphs represent the superficiality and fickleness of Belinda's world; they act as guardian figures for the trivial, emphasizing that the values of the society are merely surface-deep.
What is the significance of the "Cave of Spleen" mentioned in the text?
The Cave of Spleen serves as a manifestation of repressed female passions and the then-common medical and cultural belief that "spleen" or rage was a dysfunctional malady associated with women.
- Quote paper
- Daniela Esser (Author), 2001, Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/6571
