Lecture Notes on Alexander Pope and William Blake

One of the key figures of Neo-Classical poetry.
Considered the successor to John Dryden.
Differentiates from Dryden through varying proportions of wit and satire.
Perfected the heroic couplet, introducing it to absolute perfection.
Maintained impeccable craftsmanship; no development in technique is apparent in his body of work.
His poetry reflects the exclusion of passion and imagination, focusing on meticulous form.
Renowned satirist, capable of inflicting memorable critiques through uncharitable and savage expressions.
Despite success as a writer, he had many adversaries whom he attacked fiercely, revealing an unpleasant aspect of his nature.
Notable for his aphorisms and satirical prowess, particularly in his expert use of the heroic couplet.

Regarded as one of Pope's most delightful poems.
Centers on the trivial incident of a curl being cut from a fashionable young lady's hair.
Employs a mock-heroic style, which juxtaposes the trivial situation with grand language.

The poem is a mock-epic, using the conventions of epic poetry to satirize social norms and behaviors.
The story stems from a petty quarrel between two aristocratic families.
- Lord Peter cuts a lock of hair from Miss Arabella Fermor, intending it as a jest but perceived as a grave insult.
Written at the behest of Pope to mend rifts between the families involved.

Emphasizes the absurdity of the incident by treating it with epic grandeur akin to the Trojan War, as exemplified by references in the poem.
Mimics the style of Homer, employing high-stakes narrative style on a trivial basis—characterizing it as "mock epic."
Utilizes "machinery" in the story; instead of divine forces, Pope introduces airy spirits, inspired by Rosicrucian beliefs about elemental spirits.

The main characters include Belinda, the Peer (Baron), and Clarissa.
Imagery of the setting: Hampton Court, a royal palace, aligns with the aristocratic backdrop of the narrative.
Clarissa introduces the scissors as a 'two-edged weapon', invoking notions of war and battle aesthetics in the context of a hair-cutting incident.

Key passage visualizes the moment Belinda's lock is cut with dramatic urgency:
- "When to mischief mortals bend their will, How soon they find fit instruments of ill!"
- Reflects on how the spirits intervene and the resulting chaos of the moment, showcasing Pope’s satirical tone.
The consequences of the incident escalate to exaggerated levels, showcasing reactions reminiscent of a tragedy:
- "Not louder shrieks to pitying heaven are cast When husbands, or when lap-dogs, breathe their last."

The striking use of inversion reminiscent of classical epics enhances the mock-heroic tone.
- Example: “when to mischief mortals bend their will” instead of “when mortals bend their will to mischief.”
Evokes classical Greek and Latin poetry structures and influences.

Pope utilizes elevated language to inflate the commonplace and trivial into grandiosity.
Substitutes ordinary words with grand synonyms to maintain the elevated tone—"drew with tempting grace" instead of "took out."

A didactic poem initiated in 1705; published anonymously in 1711.
Marks Pope's ambitious foray into poetic criticism amidst contemporary debates on 'natural' vs. 'artificial' poetry.
Establishes rules of taste to govern poetry; critiques and articulates the necessity for critics to serve poets rather than attack them.

Explores how classical authors provide authority on poetic rules, suggesting they parallel natural laws.
Ambiguous representation regarding the role of rules vs. innate poetic genius contributing to genuine art.
Discusses the absence of distinctiveness in critics lacking natural sensibilities, implies that true art reflects divine order.

Pope declares the limits of human understanding: "Nature to all things fix’d the limits fit, And wisely curb’d proud man‘s pretending wit."
Advocates for adherence to personal understanding in the poem's rules while recognizing instinctual qualities in poetry.

Significant shift in the poetry landscape after Pope's passing.
Emergence of themes surrounding sentiment alongside classical motifs—naturalism begins to weave itself into classical framework.
The poetry retains classical refinement while introducing emotional depth.

Thomas Gray and William Collins exemplify a threshold of change in poetic expression.
- Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard" balances neo-classical elements with themes of melancholy and nature.
- Exploration of individualized experiences against a backdrop of broader societal norms.

Gray's interplay between the neoclassical and the romantic foreshadows emerging literary movements, consolidating personal sentiment with traditional structural forms.
Relationships between emotional honesty and established poetic conventions characterize this period and its transition into Romanticism.