The Rape of the Lock

The Rape of the Lock

The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope is one of the most famous examples of a mock-epic poem in the English language. It was first published in 1712, and was later revised to include the “machinery”, the retinue of super-naturals who influence both the actions and the morals of the story (Pope, pp. 1-48). It is Pope's poetic career that defines the Augustan Age of English literature with neoclassical poetry that was learned and allusive, setting less value on originality that the Romantic poets would in the next century (Rogers, Pat, pp. 17). ...