Alexander Pope And His Influence On Society
There is a certain tendency among human beings to remain in a state of comfort; Alexander Pope was an exception to this commonality. He was a man with little compassion due to lifelong struggles which began during his childhood. He aspired to influence people through his works and teachings. Determined to overcome his handicaps, Alexander Pope worked at an early age to inspire people through the poems he wrote, leaving an influential stamp on history.
During the late 1600s, Alexander Pope, Sr., who traded textiles for a living, and his wife Edith had a child. This child was named Alexander, after his father, and he was born on May 21, 1688. This time period was not an optimal time for young Alexander to grow up.
Growing up in England, Alexander faced many obstacles with his particular religious belief. He was Catholic, which meant he was forced to be raised outside of London in the small, rural town of Windsor Forest. They were not allowed to live in London because the law completely forbade the Catholic religion. This kept Alexander from being able to attend public schools, forcing him to educate himself with the occasional help from a hired tutor. Because of his lack of education, Pope had a copious amount of spare time.
He spent much of his free time in the woods, sketching pieces or reading books. He would explore fields to escape his daily life. Because of his handicaps, he was easily angered which is why he spent so much time alone. Before Alexander turned thirteen, he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis, permanently disabling him. He never reached five feet in height, and he needed assistance to achieve day-to-day tasks. He treasured the time he could spend alone, which he used to study the works of Shakespeare, Homer, and other famous authors. “He had further digested a fair number of European authors down to Boileau and had applied the minute attention of an apprentice-poet to his major English predecessors: Chaucer, Spenser, Sidney, probably Shakespeare, though his copy is not now known, Jonson, Milton, and Dryden.” He also learned languages, wrote poems, and simply enjoyed nature.
Alexander, being extremely intelligent, was writing established poetry by his teenage years. Alexander possessed special literary capabilities as a child which he utilized to write intriguing essays. He quickly became popular, gaining recognition and respect among literary circles in Europe; this was the beginning of his career. A man named Jacob Tonson granted Alexander an unexpected windfall. Tonson, a well-known publisher, incorporated a group of Alexander‘s poems in one of his books. This boost of fame only encouraged Alexander to write even more.
When Alexander was twenty-three years old, he published An Essay on Criticism. This was his first successful essay, which became extremely popular. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele were famous authors who began publishing all of Alexander’s works. After publishing this essay, Alexander began making friends with renowned artists; he continued to accumulate followers.
Alexander joined the Scriblerus Club in order to be more involved with his passion. This was a club which included many famous authors such as John Gay, Jonathon Swift, as well as other somewhat renown authors. The Scriblerus Club asked Alexander if he would translate and publish a new version of the Iliad by Homer. Alexander agreed to the translations and was compensated for his work.The public paid in advance in hopes of a well-translated addition. Since Alexander agreed, the publication was a success. Because of this success, he was able to financially support himself, which was something he greatly enjoyed. His translation was such a large success that he was then given the same opportunity for the Odyssey.
Alexander then began to translate the works of Shakespeare to earn even more money. All of these translations were very successful; this established a strong reputation for Alexander. He was now wealthy enough to buy a new house in Twickenham, a town in England just outside of London. It was a gorgeous house, sitting on the River Thames among the suburbs of Twickenham. It was a beautiful piece of property, with lavish gardens and underground tunnels. He threw parties here and enjoyed growing his own vegetables. It was at this house where Alexander found the peace that he had been searching for. He also had the time to write some of his best works. He enjoyed the similarity his house shared with his childhood home in Windsor Forest; that similarity being the thriving nature and the peaceful solitude. This time he spent alone sparked the ideas he would use for his major poetry.
Alexander’s work was his form of communication to the world. He spoke bluntly in his poems, usually addressing the public. He recognized that the European way of life was morally declining, and he publicly announced his discovery which angered people. Alexander was able to communicate in his writing effectively because of the people who influenced him.
Alexander was greatly influenced by many different things and people. Shakespeare inspired Alexander with his writings, and Alexander modeled his work after him. Alexander’s idol, John Dryden, was a great English poet, and Alexander looked up to him more than any other author. Alexander would often debate against other authors, which influenced him to write the poems. Most of his poems and works were in response to the press’s slander toward him (poetryfoundation.org). “Cripple and Roman Catholic he might be, but he would beat a path into his society’s high places and bask in its applause.” Alexander refused to let the critics quench his flame.
An Essay on Criticism was Alexander’s first notable essay; this extremely long poem essentially states his opinions and observations on society. “Bringing together themes and ideas from the history of philosophy, the three parts of the poem illustrate a golden age of culture, describe the fall of that age, and propose a platform to restore it through literary ethics and personal virtues.” (poetryfoundation.org). In his essay, Alexander suggested that tasteful poetry is close with nature. He did not necessarily mean physical nature of the world; he was talking about the flow and organization of nature. He strongly believed that articulate detail in the form and content mattered for authorizing literature. In this poem, he gives credit to many critics, including Horace and Quintillion, for influencing his content. Alexander began the poem by criticizing the evaluators and judges who are associated with him (Williams 37-39). He mainly mocked protesters and court Whigs. He rarely found any critics with true taste. He was proudly influenced by Greek and Roman design and literature. He said that only God grants true art and poetry. After criticizing and disagreeing with poetry of his time, Alexander suggested that we resort back to classical poetry of ancient artists involving nature.
There are three different sections in An Essay on Criticism. In part one, Alexander attacks his false critics who focus all their information on personal opinions. In part two, he searches for the problems which prohibit clear and moral judgment. In part three he encourages the presenting of ideas which promote historical fundamentals.
This poem proved Alexander’s talent and firmly established that he was open to debate; it was an example of an argument that he turned into superior poetry. Like many of his poems, this piece dwelled in the hearts of people with many of its lyrics quoted among them. Alexander was only twenty-three years old when he wrote this poem proving his skill at such a young age. Through his whole life Alexander had people criticize his work, but he never feared repercussions when stating his worldview.
The Dunciad was another poem Alexander wrote in communication to his abominators. He had never before publicly replied to people in the manner that he did when he published The Dunciad. There was an exonerated critic named Theobald who inserted himself negatively on Alexander’s work. He severely criticized his translations of the works of Shakespeare, and Alexander publicly responded for the first time saying that most poetry was inelegant. Alexander was enraged with his critics and disgusted with the tasteless style in poetry in which people wrote. He used mockery to channel his emotions.
The Dunciad was a piece constructed into four books. People during this time were always prepared for insults because public slander was so common. When Alexander published The Dunciad on May 18, 1728, people were extremely anxious; they needed to see if they were mentioned. Writers were irritated with Alexander for his criticism towards them. Alexander’s reasoning for defaming these authors was out of revenge. He had been criticized and mocked his whole life for being physically deformed and for his prose. This was his chance for justification and redemption. He predicts in this poem a time of bedlam and darkness. When originally published, The Dunciad was only three books, and the fourth was not added until 1742. The name was changed to The New Dunciad. The fourth book’s purpose was to satisfy his theory of upcoming worldwide chaos. The New Dunciad was again revised and changed. Alexander published the final copy called The Dunciad in Four Books, in 1743, a year later. This copy merged all four books into one text with several edits and changes to the original books.
In the revised edition, a man named Colley Cibber became the target. He was an actor who offended Alexander during Alexander’s process in writing The Dunciad. Colley Cibber was overly convinced of his own superiority mainly for winning Poet Laureate (an exonerated government-appointed poet) in 1729. Cibber was the perfect example of what Alexander was trying to prove: British civilization had no taste or class in choosing this man to be their Poet Laureate.
The four different books of The Dunciad each bring their own message, with the first one describing Cibber’s bringing decay and flavorlessness to England. In his second book, he disrespects other authors of his time by describing olympic-style games by which the authors would compete in crude, ridiculous events. In the third book, Alexander has Cibber go into hell where he finds the prophecy of declining culture. Finally, in book number four, Dulness takes over and rules the world. Dulness is Alexander’s main character; she was a goddess whose main goal was to make the whole world ignorant. The goddess brings complete chaos and ruin to the world which Cibber foresaw. This is where book four ends. Alexander used a mock-heroic style to captivate his audience while getting his point across that the culture among poets was worsening. Overall, The Dunciad is a dark, drastic poem depicting hopelessness and ending in apocalypse.
After completing The Dunciad, Alexander decided to work on something new. He wanted to compile a book of all his works as a bundle; however, he was unable to finish this task due to his health. Alexander died on May 30, 1744. It was caused by an excessive accumulation of fluid beneath his skin – edema. He had battled all his life with physical ailments, and they had finally taken his life.
All of Alexander’s works were uncommon to his day and age; they did not conform to the Victorian pleasantries in common poetry, leaving his legacies. Since Alexander always stressed his opinion in such a strong manner, people saw him as a scholar instead of an author. He was ahead of his time which confused people, making them unaccepting of his art.
Alexander’s relevancy today is rewarded to many things; one, of which, was his precociousness. People believe Alexander was the gateway initiator to a new age of poetry. He had firm morals that were based on God’s maintaining order among his people. Alexander believed God made people to live in unity. He believed we disagree because of man’s pride.
Alexander had his own ideas and form, making him unique. Man’s responsibility, according to Alexander, is to maintain morality and work for strong principles. Today, Alexander has been used by modern scholars as a standard for poets of his day. Respectable modern authors have confirmed Alexander’s originality by stating he did not emulate the works of Horace and other great poets. Because Alexander had no fear of people’s thoughts toward him, he said things how he thought them; this was typically somewhat accurate as well. He came across as harsh because he lacked the ability to filter his words. This bluntness was a trait that made him unique.
Alexander influenced people by introducing both a new form of poetry and his unique skill to the world. Alexander displayed his integrity mostly during the latter part of his life giving the proper standard for how a man should behave. “He was an excellent hater, an accomplished liar, and hypersensitive to injuries, which he rarely forgave... he was extremely generous with both his purse and his influence and staunchly loyal to a wide and widely assorted circle of friends.” The form of defaming he used on authors was the main factor in keeping him relevant. He was largely known for his retribution in the form of poetic satire. Alexander’s satire is what fueled him, allowing him to take all the negative criticism he received; this influenced his followers to do the same.
Ultimately, Alexander‘s main goal was to pursue truth regardless of people’s opinions. He knew his followers would apprehend this and use it. To Pope, indeed, the pursuit of poetry and the pursuit of truth were one and the same.... And, in the end, such pursuit brought its own reward, and justified some of Pope’s own last best words: ‘Truth guards the Poet, sanctifies the line, And makes Immortal, Verse as mean as mine.’.... As he himself said, ‘my works will in one respect be like the works of Nature, much more to be liked and understood when consider’d in the relation they bear with each other, then when ignorantly look’d upon one by one; and often, those parts which attract most at first sight, will appear to be not the most, but the least considerable’. Alexander Pope was driven to prove to people that his disabilities would not stop him from being great, dedicating his life to inspiring people with his works and leaving his everlasting legacy to people who needed it. Pope gave back not only to his own community, but also to the entire world by publishing his famous poems. He would not let discouragement hinder him which inspired and helped people. Alexander Pope’s short-lived life gave the world of literature a breath of rejuvenation by sharing his perspective and opinion on multiple topics, leaving an everlasting stamp on history.
