The Age of Pope (1700-1744)

 The Age of Pope (1700-1744)

Introduction

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 firmly established aProtestant monarchy together with effective rule by Parliament. The new science of the time, Newtonian physics, reinforced the belief that everything, including human conduct, is guided by a rational order. Moderation and common sense became intellectual values as well as standards of behaviour.

The 18th cent. was the age of town life with its coffeehouse and clubs. One of the most famous of the latter was the Scriblerus Club, whose members included Pope, Swift, and John Gay. Its purpose was to defend and uphold high literary standards against the rising tide of middle-class values and tastes.

The Revolution of 1688, which banished the Stuarts, had settled the king's question by making Parliament supreme in England, but not all Englishmen were content with the settlement. People - divided into hostile parties: The Liberal Whigs : Whig a member of a British political party in the 17th, - 18th and 19th centuries, which supported political and social change

Tory (Conservative)- belonging to or supporting the British political party which opposes sudden social change, high taxation and government involvement in industry.Zealot - a person who has very strong opinions about something, and tries to make other people have them too.

The period of English history from 1700 to 1798, commonly referred to as the Pseudo-classical or Neoclassical age, may conveniently be divided into two; The early half from 1700-1740, may be called the Age of Pope, for Pope was the leading poet and man of letters of the period, the later half of the century from 1740-1798 may be called the Age of Dr. Johnson, for Dr. Johnson was its leading literary figure. During this time first Queen Anne and then the three Gorges ruled over England. Matthew Arnold refers to the period as, "Our admirable and indispensable 18th century", for the age saw the rise of the social Essay and the Novel, and the development of the modern prose style. As during the Restoration Era, in this age also, the French influence pre-dominated and neoclassicism be­came more rigid and stringent.

Eighteenth-century writings in three main divisions: the reign of so-called classicism, the revival of romantic poetry, and the beginnings of the modern novel. The word "classic" came to have a different meaning, a meaning now expressed by the word "formal." The Eighteenth Century in England is called the Classical Age or the Augustan Age in literature. It is also called the Age of Good Sense or the Age of Reason. Dryden is also included in the Classical or Augustan Age. Other great literary figures - this age successively were Pope and Dr.Johnson. 

Classical Age is divided into three distinct periods: The Ages of Dryden, Pope and Dr. Johnson.

The Age of Dryden was described as - "The Restoration Period."

In the first place, the term 'classic', in general, applies to writers of the highest rank in any nation first applied to the works of the great Greek and Roman writers, like Homer and Virgil. This age writers followed - the simple and noble methods of the great ancient writers

In the second place, in every national literature there is a period when a large number of writers produce works of great merit: The reign of Augustus is called the Classical Age of Rome; and the Age of Dante is called the Classical Age of Italian literature.

Alexander Pope:-

Alexander Pope was born on May 21st, 1688 in London into a Catholic family. His education was affected by the recent Test Acts, upholding the status of the Church of England and banning Catholics from teaching. In effect this meant his formal education was over by the age of 12 and Pope was to now immerse himself in classical literature and languages and to, in effect, educate himself. From this age too he also suffered from numerous health problems including a type of tuberculosis (Pott's disease) which resulted in a stunted, deformed body. Only to grow to a height of 4 6, with a severe hunchback and complicated further by respiratory difficulties, high fevers, inflamed eyes and abdominal pain all of which served to further isolate him, initially, from society However his talent was evident to all. Best known for his satirical verse, his translations of Homer and the use of the heroic couplet, he is the second-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare. With the publication of Pastorals in 1709 followed by An Essay on Criticism (1711) and his most famous work The Rape of the Lock (1712; revised and enlarged in 1714) Pope became not only famous but wealthy. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey further enhanced both reputation and purse. His engagement to produce an opulent new edition of Shakespeare met with a mixed reception. Pope attempted to "regularise" Shakespeare's metre and rewrote some of his verse and cut 1500 lines, that Pope considered to be beneath the Bard's standard, to mere footnotes. 

Alexander Pope died on May 30th, 1744 at his villa at Twickenham where he created his famous grotto and gardens and was buried in the nave of the nearby Church of England Church of St Mary the Virgin. Over the years and centuries since his death Pope's work has been in and out of favour but with this distance he is now truly recognised as one of England's greatest poets.

Pope is by far the most important poetic figure of the age called after him. His importance lies in the fact that he exercised the greatest influence on the classical poetry of the century. His poetry was intellectual, didactic and satiric, and was almost written in heroic couplet. It is never of the highest class, but within its limits, it stands unrivalled in the language.

Famous work:

Poetry

1)Rape of the Lock

2)Essay on Criticism

3)Dunciad and

4)An Essay on Man

5)Translations and editions

• Translation of the Iliad Translation of the Odyssey

• Edition of Shakespeare's works

THE RAPE OF THE LOCK:-

The age in which the Pope flourished is called the Augustan or Classical age, as well as the age of the Pope, because he became the chief poet and man of letters.

Frivolous Ladies of London

Belinda represents the typical fashionable ladies of the time. What is her life, and how does she spend her day? There is not the slightest glimpse of seriousness or sincerity, goodness or grandeur of human life in any of her words and actions. Belinda is a beautiful lady; she has a host of admirers; she is a flirt and a coquette.

Favours to none, to all she smiles extends.

Oft she rejects, but never she offends.

But despite all their flirtations and the disdain they showed for their lovers, these ladies of the court did secretly pine for love as Ariel, the guardian sylph, discovered about Belinda:

An earthly lover lurking at her heart.

They secretly harboured ambition to get married to lords and dukes, or men holding some high titles. And dreaming of their rich prospects women like Belinda sleep late and are used to rising late from their beds.

Now lap dogs give themselves the rousing shake,

And sleepless lovers, just at twelve, awake.

When Belinda awakes, she is engaged immediately with her toilet which takes up a large part of her time. The beauty of Belinda and the elaborate details of her toilet are all set forth with matchless grace, but behind all this fascinating description, there is a pervading sense of vanity and emptiness.

Places of London

In Canto III, Pope gives a detailed description of the scene where Belinda’s beautiful lock of hair is to be raped. There is Hampton Court, the palace of the English Queen beautifully situated on the banks of the river Thames, where

Britain’s statesmen oft the fall foredoom,

Of foreign tyrants and of nymphs at home.

The poet in a very subtle manner satirizes the activities of the palace. The Queen’s consultations with her ministers and her taking tea with the luminaries of her regime are equated. The serious and the frivolous have been mentioned in one breath, as if taking counsel is as routine and frivolous a matter as taking tea. The intrigues of the court are also laid bare. 

Hollowness of the Gentlemen of the Day

Not ladies only, but the gentlemen of the smart set are equally frivolous. Lord Petre and his fellows are the representatives of the fashionable society of the time. They are all idle, empty minded folk, and seem to have nothing else to do but making love to or flirting with ladies. The battle between the ladies and gentlemen shows emptiness and futility of their lives. They visit clubs and coffee-houses, and there they indulge in empty scandalous talks. ‘At every word a reputation dies’.

Pope describes the card-game in detail, because card-games seemed to occupy an important place in the daily activities of fashionable ladies and gentlemen of the period. Sir plume is another fashionable gentleman, exceeding all others in his vanity and utter emptiness. When he is requested by his lady love Thalestris to persuade Lord Petre to surrender the precious hairs of Belinda, he utters words which are unsurpassed in their emptiness.

Writing style of Alexander Pope:-

Pseudo Classicist

The true classicism is meant to be a combination of poetic ardour and excellence of form. In Pope the true poetic ardour and energy is absent but he is exceedingly careful about the technique of form and style. When we look at the contents of Pope's poetry we do not find anything worthwhile. Satire, didactic poetry, and a flimsy mock-heroic poem- are all his poetic achievements.

Intellectual Poetry

Pope's poetry was of his age, and it reflected in full measure the spirit of the age. It is intellectual and its appeal is to the mind rather than to the heart. It is full of wit and epigram, the brilliancy of which is unsurpassed. Pope is next to Shakespeare, in contributing quotable lines of verse, which are remarkable for their pregnancy, neatness and brevity. Here are some of his famous quotes,

To err is human, to forgive divine. We think our fathers fools, so wise we grow. Our wiser sons, no doubt will think us so

The Rape Of The Lock As A Social Satire

This poem shows Pope's genius for satirical poetry which exposes in a witty manner the follies and absurdities of the high society of the times. All the recognized weapons of satire have been employed by the Pope in a most effective manner. The principal targets of satire in this poem are aristocratic ladies and gentlemen of Pope's day. Ladies who learn to roll their eyes and to blush in a coquettish manner. Pope ridicules the fickleness and superficiality of the ladies by referring to their hearts as moving toy-shops and their varying vanities.

A Poet of Wit and Fancy

He was gifted with the power of intellectual expression and perfect propriety of phrase.

It is true that Pope had not much to express, he had hardly any original thing to say, his thoughts are mostly borrowed or commonplace, but what gives distinction to his poetry is its lucid expression. His aim was to set the gems, not to create them. Lessing said: The Pope's great merit lay in what we call the mechanic of poetry.

Pope's Heroic Couplet

Pope is the unchallenged master of the heroic couplet, just as Milton is of blank verse. Almost all of Pope's poetry is written in the heroic couplet. The rhythm of Pope's couplet has perfect smoothness and regularity which have a pleasing effect upon the ear

Some Limitations

Pope's poetry is not only superficial but is limited in its range. Firstly, it is the poetry of society in the city, as in The Rape of the Lock-- a poetry of satire and a philosophic poetry, which is dry and has no warmth of experience behind it. Pope said:"The proper study of mankind is man". But it was mankind as seen only in the small society of London.

So far as Pope's versification is concerned it was limited to the heroic couplet. Though he handled this measure with masterly skill, it shows mechanical skill rather than genuine art.

Merits and Demerits of Alexander pope's poetry

Merits/ Good Aspects 

• His poetry may not be of the highest class.

• Pope is the most important, though not the greatest, poet of the eighteenth century.

• He exercised the greatest Influence on the classical poetry of the century. His poetry was intellectual, didactic and satiric and was almost all written in the heroic couplet. It is never of the highest class, but within its limits, it stands unrivalled.

Controversy regarding his greatness

There is a good deal of controversy among critics as regards his true place and position among the poets of England. They widely differ amongst themselves as regards his eminence as a poet. Some consider him as one of the master poets of England and assign to him a place near Shakespeare and Milton; there are others who would not be willing to assign him any place as a poet. Appreciation of his poetry has partly received a setback on account of some defects in his character. He received the highest praise in his own century. He was ranked with the poets of song by Swift, Addison and Warburton. In reply to a question whether Pope was a poet, Johnson sharply retorted by saying that

"if Pope be not a poet where is poetry to be found."

Joseph Wharton once praised the poet by the remark that in that species of poetry wherein Pope excelled, he is superior to all mankind. Bowles placed him above Dryden and to Byron he was the greatest name in English poetry. Ruskin regarded him as the most perfect representative of the true English mind and Mr. Lowell is of the opinion that, "In his own province he still stands unapproachable alone"

He was not liked by Wordsworth and Coleridge and was even denounced by them. Matthew Arnold regarded him, with Dryden, the "classic of our Prose." There has been an unprecedented reversal of fortune in the twentieth century and his merits have come to be widely acknowledged on all hands. Whether you call his work poetry or prose, the fact is that it possesses certain qualities which demand our greatest respect and give us genuine pleasure.

Demerits 

His excellence is just technical, so it is rather of a superficial kind. He does not exhibit any depth of human nature or any subtlety of human mind. He has no eye for the beauty of external nature, or for the grandeur of human character.

His poetry is lacking in originality of thought. The substance of his poetry consists mostly of conventional thought and commonplace maxims of morality and his merit is a matter of his expression. His expression is brilliant, because he polishes and refines it. He polishes and replenishes his thoughts and his language finds the startling turns which emerge as a result thereof, evoke our admiration, but they do not warm our hearts as true poetry does. He is not a creative poet, he cannot sing as he has no ears for the subtlest melodies of verse. He is not a lyric poet; he lacked the intensity, spontaneity, music and melody of a lyric poet. 

He exalts reason over imagination. Consequently imaginative lights as we find in Shelley, are conspicuous by their absence from his poetry. His poetry deals with library criticism, ethical philosophy, moral satire, which for their presentation have to depend upon cold and impassioned analysis and scientific method, and not heights of the flights of imagination. Much of his poetry is satirical, which is topical in its appeal, and lacks the element of universality. His poetry is of little interest to us to-day, full of allusions and references to contemporary personalities as it is. His poetry is limited in its range as it was poetry of society in the city-of fashionable and smart society-poetry of satire and a philosophic poetry, which is dry and has no warmth of experience in it. He aims at the study of mankind but the man he studies is of the limited society of a city-man In London-and in literary London.

"The vast range of humanity beyond London,"

Says Stop ford Brooke, "was left without sympathy, as if it did not exist. This was not insular, it was insolent."

His studies relate only to the social life, manners and customs of a highly artificial society, where conventions impede the strong and smooth flow of elemental human passions and emotions. He could not rise up to epic and drama which constitute the grandest form of poetry. He lacked insight into eternal truths and to capture them in melody and metaphor, or some strain of harmony, is absolutely beyond him. As merits he is limited only to the heroic couplet, which shows in his hands only mechanical skill and not genuine art.