Alexander Pope
English Poet
Alexander Pope was a poet from the early 18th Century who many regard as the greatest poet that England has ever produced. He was best known for his stellar translations of Homer's works as well as his mastery of the satirical verse and the heroic couplet. He remains, along with William Shakespeare, the most often-quoted writer in the English language.
Alexander Pope was born on May 21, 1688 in London, England to a linen merchant whom Alexander was named after and Edith Turner. The senior Pope and his wife were devout Roman Catholics and this religious affiliation would prove to be a hindrance to Pope's education. England of course at this time was involved in many political and religious conflicts one of which was the struggle of the Roman Catholics Church to gain a foothold in the country against the established Church of England.
Catholic schools were forbidden from operating across the country and any Catholic who was caught teaching could face the prospect of a lifetime in prison. Nevertheless some areas in England tolerated the existence of Catholic Schools and Pope, after first being taught to read at home by an aunt later attended clandestine Catholic institutions in Twyford and Hyde Park.
Alexander Pope was somewhat sickly as a child and more seriously, suffered from Pott's disease, a debilitating type of tuberculosis that targets the spine, which in Pope caused his torso to be severely deformed, and stunting his growth severely. His extremely diminutive stature was a source of much insecurity for Pope and would perhaps explain why he never married. This condition may also be the reason why he died at such an early age, passing away when he was only 56 years old.
The wave of anti-Catholicism continued into the beginning of the 1700s and a law was passed forbidding Catholics from living within 10 miles of London and Westminster. This would necessitate the Pope family's relocation to Binfield in Berkshire. The move would not altogether be a negative one for Pope however as this was where he would first discover his love for reading, which he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
His early poem Windsor Forest was a work that described in detail the surrounding countryside in Binfield. He would spend hours upon hours immersing himself in the works of not only English, but also Italian, French Latin and Greek poets as well. He considered such pursuits highly enjoyable and happily taught himself the different languages from the respective works. He took an early liking for the works of Homer in particular as translated by John Ogilby, which he was exposed to at the tender age of eight. Pope has even claimed to have written his first poem Ode to Solitude at the age of eight.
His interest in writing and literary pursuits also caused him to come into contact with many prominent literary figures of the day such as John Caryll. Carylly was almost twenty years older than Pope and was well known in the literary world. He would later introduce Pope to the noted playwright William Wycherly. Another poet whom Pope met during this period was William Walsh and Walsh helped him in the revision of his first serious literary effort, The Pastorals. Finally, he made what is perhaps his longest association, his friendship with the Blount sisters, Martha and Theresa, which would last for the rest of his life.
The aforementioned The Pastorals would later prove to be the piece that would make Pope, granting him immediate acclaim upon its publication. An Essay of Criticism followed soon after and was equally successful in spite of the harsh criticism levelled against this work by John Dennis. Dennis was a prominent literary critic of the time and he and Pope would cross paths many times throughout Pope's career.
In 1713, Pope decided to undertake what was until then the most ambitious project of his career: the translation of Homer's Iliad. It was a hugely successful work and made Pope the only poet of his time who could fully support himself solely by his own work. He would later tackle Homer's Odyssey as well as an edition of one of William Shakespeare's works.
Alexander Pope died on May 30, 1744.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 24/04/2007
