AlexanderPope

ThoughcriticalopiniononAlexanderPopehasfrequentlybeendivided,heisnowregardedasthemostimportantpoetoftheearlyeighteenthcentury.Aninvalidfrominfancy,hedevotedhisenergiestowardsliteratureandachievedremarkablesuccesswithhisfirstpublishedworkattheageoftwenty-one.Asuccessionofbrilliantpoemsfollowed,includingAnEssayonCriticism(1711),WindsorForest(1715),andhismasterpiece,TheRapeoftheLock.Asecondperiodofgreatpoetrywasbegunin1728withtheappearanceofthefirstDunciad.Alltheseworks—whichexhibitPope'sastonishinghumaninsight,hiswidesympathies,andpowersofsocialobservation(displayedtogreatesteffectin...