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Unit 10: The Augustan Age or the Triumph of Neoclassicism (Pope and Heroic Couplet, Poetic Diction and Satire)

Unit 10: The Augustan Age or The Triumph of Notes

Neoclassicism (Pope and Heroic Couplet,
Poetic Diction and Satire)

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
10.1 Pope
10.2 Heroic Couplet
10.3 Poetic Diction
10.4 Satire
10.5 Summary
10.6 Keywords
10.7 Review Questions
10.8 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Define pope.
Describe heroic couplet and poetic diction.
Explain satire.

Introduction

Pope defines this literary movement in his "Essay on Criticism." The English Neoclassical movement
drew upon classical and contemporary French models. The movement started with the Restoration
in 1660 and lasted until the end of the eighteenth century when Romanticism fully emerged with
the lyrical ballads of Coleridge and Wordworth. Neoclassicism encompassed a fixed set of thoughts
about the human experience. Neoclassicists supported the ideals of order, logic, accuracy, restraint,
and decorum.

10.1 Pope
Pope was called "The Wicked Wasp of Twickenham" for his stinging literary satires of his fellow
writers. But Pope also was a poet whose mastery of the heroic couplet has kept him in the canon of
English literature since the 18th century. Largely self-educated, Pope began writing poetry as a
teen and was first published in 1709. An Essay on Criticism, published in 1711, established him as
a technically adept and malicious wit, and Pope became a celebrity in London's literary circles. His
mock-heroic poem The Rape of the Lock (1712-14) cemented his reputation, and his translations of
Homer made him financially secure enough that in 1719 he settled in a villa in Twickenham. Pope
made a career out of mocking other poets, and his sharp-edged jabs earned him the 'Wicked Wasp'
nickname. Pope was undeniably skilled at verse, and his literary reputation has waxed and waned
over the years, but his work is generally considered a major influence on English satire. His other
works include The Dunciad (1728-42), Moral Essays (1731-35) and Essay on Man (1733). He is the
source of many commonly-used (and often unattributed) quotes, including: "To err is human, to

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