Pope 亚历山大·蒲泊.ppt

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) I. Brief introduction 1. Pope’s life Born of a Catholic family, not allowed to attend school, mainly taught at home by his aunt, and learnt by reading classical writers 2.His major works Essay on Criticism (1711) The Rape of the Lock ( 1712) Translation of Iliad(1715-1720) Translation of Odyssey (1720) II. Neoclassicism 1.The literary principle according to which the writing and criticism of poetry and drama were to be guided by rules derived from the best ancient Greek and Roman authors, among which are preference for rationality, clarity, restraint, order and decorum. II. Neoclassicism. 2. In Miltons age there was a tendency toward the clear simple, measured(整齐的，有分寸的) and exact expression in poetry (reaction against pompous/twisted styles). The major exponents of the movement were John Dryden (1613-1700) and Alexander Pope . III. Features of Alexander Pope’s poetry As the most representative poet of Neoclassicism of English literature, Alexander Pope (1688-1744) advocated the classical rules of order, reason, logic, restrained emotion, good taste and decorum. He developed a satiric, concise, smooth, graceful and well-balanced style and brought the heroic couplet to its last perfection. IV. An Essay on Criticism It assembles the “most known and most received observations on the subject of literature and criticism”.( similar to Horace in his Ars Poetica) He intended to give to generally accepted doctrines pleasing and memorable expression (a storehouse of critical maxims rather than a poem) IV. An Essay on Criticism A little learning is a dangerous thing. To err is human, to forgive divine. For fools rush in where angels fear to tread. IV. An Essay on Criticism Wit In this poem wit is a word of many meanings: a clever remark, the man that makes it, a conceit, liveliness of mind, inventiveness, fancy, genius, a genius , poetry itself, among others IV. An Essay on Criticism Nature Not “thi