Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was born on the 21st of May 1688 at six forty-five pm in London. His parents were Catholics during a time when England faced revolution. The Test Acts banned Catholics from attending universities or holding public office. He studied with his aunt and attended Twyford School around 1698. Two Roman Catholic schools existed in London though they remained illegal. Pope read classical writers like Horace and Juvenal to educate himself. He also studied French, Italian, Latin, and Greek poets after five years of self-study. His family moved to Binfield in Berkshire in 1700 due to anti-Catholic laws. They could not live within ten miles of London or Westminster.
From age twelve Pope suffered from Pott disease affecting his spine. This tuberculosis infection caused respiratory difficulties and high fevers. He grew to only four feet seven inches tall as an adult. His body deformed into a severe hunchback while he endured abdominal pain. Poor health alienated him further from society beyond his religious exclusion. He never married but wrote witty letters to many female friends including Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Some alleged his lifelong friend Martha Blount was his lover though this remains debated. His physician William Cheselden stated that Cibber's slander about carnosity was false. Pope loved walking alone so he carried pistols in his pocket for protection. He walked accompanied by his Great Dane named Bounce during dangerous times.
In May 1709 Pope published Pastorals in Jacob Tonson's Poetical Miscellanies. This earned him instant fame at just twenty-one years old. An Essay on Criticism followed in May 1711 with equal reception. The poem used heroic couplet style which was new at the time. It addressed whether poetry should be natural or follow classical rules. Pope discussed laws critics must adhere to when analyzing works. He argued critics aid poets rather than simply attacking them. Around 1711 he formed the Scriblerus Club with Jonathan Swift and Thomas Parnell. Their goal was satirizing ignorance through Martinus Scriblerus. He also befriended Whig writers Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Windsor Forest appeared in March 1713 receiving great acclaim.
Pope announced plans to publish a translation of the Iliad in 1713. One volume would appear every year over six years via subscription. Bernard Lintot secured a revolutionary deal paying him two hundred guineas per volume. That sum equaled two hundred ten pounds at the time. His Iliad translation appeared between 1715 and 1720. Samuel Johnson called it a performance no age could hope to equal. Richard Bentley disagreed calling it pretty but not Homer. The money allowed Pope to move to Twickenham in 1719. He created his famous grotto filled with trickling water from a spring. The house and gardens later demolished though much grotto survives today. A restoration project opened it for thirty weekends annually starting in 2023.
An Essay on Man published between 1732 and 1734 was philosophical poetry. It consisted of four epistles addressed to Lord Bolingbroke. Pope meant it as part of an ethical system in poetic form. He sought to vindicate the ways of God to man like Milton did. The poem assumes humanity has fallen yet must seek salvation. It presents a universe functioning rationally according to natural laws despite appearances. Humans occupy a middle stage between angels and beasts in the Great Chain of Being. Limited intelligence means people experience only partial truths about existence. Hope leads to faith allowing humans to strive toward goodness regardless of circumstances. Life seems chaotic within the center yet remains divinely ordered overall.
John Dennis found an ironic portrait of himself in An Essay on Criticism. He became outraged by what he saw as impudence from a younger author. Dennis hated Pope for life dedicating efforts to insulting him in print. Pope retaliated making Dennis the butt of much satire. Lewis Theobald published Shakespeare Restored in 1726 cataloguing errors in Pope's work. This enraged Pope wherefore Theobald became the main target of The Dunciad. Some targets threatened Pope physically after reading The Dunciad. His half-sister Magdalen Rackett told Joseph Spence that her brother seemed fearless. She explained he loved walking alone so carried pistols while accompanied by Bounce. The real focus of revised poems remained Walpole and his works rather than Theobald.
By mid-eighteenth century new poetry fashions emerged challenging Pope's style. A decade after his death Joseph Warton claimed his form was not excellent. William Wordsworth found Pope too decadent to represent human condition during Romantic movement. Lord Byron identified Pope as one of his chief influences though. George Gilfillan called Pope talent fine rather than powerful in 1856. Pope died at his villa surrounded by friends on May thirtieth 1744 around eleven pm. He received Last Rites from Catholic Church the previous day. Buried in St Mary's Church nave in Twickenham. Reputation revived in twentieth century when post-war period stressed power of his poetry. Maynard Mack argued moral vision demanded respect equal to technical excellence between 1953 and 1967. Ten volumes including index appeared as definitive Twickenham edition of his poems.
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Common questions
When and where was Alexander Pope born?
Alexander Pope was born on the 21st of May 1688 at six forty-five pm in London. His parents were Catholics during a time when England faced revolution.
What health condition affected Alexander Pope from age twelve?
From age twelve Alexander Pope suffered from Pott disease affecting his spine. This tuberculosis infection caused respiratory difficulties and high fevers while he grew to only four feet seven inches tall as an adult.
How much money did Bernard Lintot pay Alexander Pope for each volume of his Iliad translation?
Bernard Lintot secured a deal paying Alexander Pope two hundred guineas per volume. That sum equaled two hundred ten pounds at the time.
Who are the main targets of satire in The Dunciad by Alexander Pope?
Lewis Theobald became the main target of The Dunciad after publishing Shakespeare Restored in 1726. The real focus of revised poems remained Walpole and his works rather than Theobald.
When did Alexander Pope die and how old was he?
Alexander Pope died at his villa surrounded by friends on May thirtieth 1744 around eleven pm. He received Last Rites from Catholic Church the previous day before being buried in St Mary's Church nave in Twickenham.