Alexander Pope enjoyed in his lifetime a fame and fortune that few poets have received. Known for his brilliant epigrams, he was an uncompromising social critic and razor-sharp satirist of fashionable society’s foibles. His poetry was characterized by a graceful mastery of the English language, a biting wit, and a moral alertness that ranged from contemptuous to compassionate to dryly humorous. Considered England’s greatest living poet by the age of 25, Pope would be hailed by Lord Byron as “the greatest name in our Poetry.”
Presented here in their entirety are several of Pope’s principal works, including the delightful mock-epic, The Rape of the Lock, Windsor Forrest, Essay on Man, Eloïse to Abelard, Essay on Criticism, and his satirical masterpiece, The Dunciad. Together, they represent the writings of one of the Enlightenment’s greatest poets.
The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems
Introduction
A Note on This Edition
Chronology
An Essay on Criticism
Windsor Forest
The Rape of the Lock
Canto I
Canto II
Canto III
Canto IV
Canto V
Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady
Eloisa to Abelard
An Essay on Man
Epistle I
Epistle II
Epistle III
Epistle IV
To Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington: Of the Use of Riches
To a Lady: Of the Characters of Women
