(1688-1744) English poet and satirist. He established his reputation with the precocious Pastorals 1709 and Essay on Criticism 1711, which were followed by a parody of the heroic epic The Rape of the Lock 1712–14 and ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ 1717. Other works include a highly Neo-Classical translation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey 1715–26.
Pope had a biting wit, which he expressed in the form of heroic couplets. As a Catholic, he was subject to discrimination, and he was embittered by a deformity of the spine. His edition of Shakespeare attracted scholarly ridicule, for which he revenged himself by a satire on scholarly dullness, the Dunciad 1728. His philosophy, including An Essay on Man 1733–34 and Moral Essays 1731–35, was influenced by the politician and philosopher Henry Bolingbroke. His finest mature productions are his Imitations of the Satires of Horace 1733–38 and his personal letters. Among his friends were the writers Swift, Arbuthnot, and Gay. His line “A little learning is a dang’rous thing” is often misquoted. + prikaži više