Pope.pptVIP

Pope’s life and career weak and crippled from childhood; Little regular schooling and no university Self-taught with the help of dictionaries and grammar books Widely read and translated Latin, French, Italian and Greek poets Alexander Pope Later in Popes life, Sir Joshua Reynolds described him as about four feet six high; very humpbacked and deformed. Maynard Mack has written that Pope was afflicted with constant headaches, sometimes so severe that he could barely see the paper he wrote upon, frequent violent pain at bone and muscle joints...shortness of breath, increasing inability to ride horseback or even walk for exercise.... Pope’s Works (1) Pastorals (2) Essay on Criticism a didactic poem in heroic couplets (3) The Rape of the Lock the masterpiece, which is worth reading for its description and satire of the dull court life of England of that time Pope’s Works (4) Translations, in heroic couplet The Iliad of Homer The Odyssey of Homer (half-translated) (5)The Works of Shakespeare an edition of Shakespeare’s plays and recognition of Shakespeare’s greatness. Pope’s Works (6) “The Dunciad” “愚人志” a satirical poem. (7) “Moral Essays” “道德论” a philosophic poem. (8) “An Essay on Men” “人论” a philosophic poem. Epigrams by Pope A little learning is a dangerous thing. For fools rush in where angels fear to tread. To err is human, to forgive, divine. One step broken, the great scale’s destroyed. The sound must be an echo to the sense. True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. One truth is clear, whatever is, is right. Pope’s poetics Function of poetry: to correct and enlighten people through poetry; Literature had the power to influence and enrich life, to educate and correct people. Diction: precision of meaning, harmony of language and structure A firm control of the form and flexibility of styles: satiric, philosophic, didactic Adv