1. An Essay on Criticism
Alexander Pope

2. Alexander Pope

3. His Life… Pope was born in London
Devout Catholics, his family moved to a quiet home in the country to avoid the conflicts in London
Because of the laws against Catholics, Pope was educated at home and in private schools
He was mostly self-taught; he could read and write in several languages

4. Pope suffered from a form of tuberculosis that affected his bones; he was short and had many lung issues
He never married, although he had several women with whom he exchanged letters for many years
Pope was able to meet many important literary figures in his early years because he was determined to be well educated

5. Pope’s family dealt with financial difficulties because of their religious beliefs; however, his translation of Homer’s works into English solved his economic woes and he bought a beautiful home in the country
Pope died quietly at home, surrounded by friends

6. His Work…
His influence on literature caused the period to be known as the “Age of Pope”
In addition to translating Homer, he also produced a volume of Shakespeare’s work and contributed to The Spectator and The Guardian, popular newspapers of the day
Pope was best known for his satire, produced in the form of “heroic couplets”
He freely criticized whatever he saw that hurt society

7. Literary Terminology
Literary Criticism – Describing, analyzing, and judging a literary work
Aphorism – a brief statement, often witty, that expresses a principle, truth, or observation about life
Epigram - a rhetorical device that is a memorable, brief, interesting and surprising satirical statement

8. About the Selection This piece was written when Pope was only 21
It gives guidelines for identifying quality literature
One interesting point he makes is that it is better to be ignorant and write nothing than to be poorly educated and write foolishly
He also believed that realism and reason were to be preferred in literature and art
He was highly praised by his peers, and Samuel Johnson said that his place among literary greats was sealed with this piece alone
The capitalization and spacing are those used by Pope

9. Class Work Read and discuss Pope’s essay
Complete the Heroic Couplets worksheet

10. Gulliver’s Travels
Jonathan Swift

11. Jonathan Swift

12. His Life…
Swift was born in Ireland when England “owned” Ireland and did not take care of its property
Swift’s father died before Swift was born, so he was sent to live with relatives in Ireland where he was given an excellent education
Because Swift’s family was English, he was able to travel freely between England and Ireland until there was serious political trouble in Ireland

13. After Swift returned to Ireland he was given a position with a former government official
Swift traveled between England and Ireland several times, earning a degree from Oxford University
Frustrated that his employer was not helping him getting a better position, Swift became a priest in the Church of Ireland; at first he was miserable in his new career
Swift moved back to Ireland, earning his doctorate degree and pastoring a small congregation

14. Swift became more politically active, and this activity often hurt his chances of good appointments for his church career; in the meantime his writing career began to improve
After Queen Anne took power, he returned permanently to Ireland and continued his writing; many of his political pamphlets supporting the people of Ireland were very controversial

15. Swift befriended Alexander Pope, and he visited Pope twice in England
On the second visit, Pope help Swift publish his new book, Gulliver’s Travels, which was immensely popular
Swift returned to Ireland; the last years of his life were very difficult
He lost several close friends, suffered from mental illness (probably the result of a stroke), and even refused to speak for the term of a year
Swift died a few months after Pope; he is buried in the cathedral where he last served

16. His Work
Swift is known for his political pamphlets which “call out” the men he saw as harmful to Ireland and its people
His prose work, mostly satirical, fills a dozen volumes
He also wrote poetry and fiction
Gulliver’s Travels is considered his masterpiece, and A Modest Proposal impacted society greatly

17. Literary Terminology
Satire - A literary work that mocks or ridicules the stupidity or vices of individuals, groups, institutions, or society in general

18. About the Selection
Swift wrote the pieces as a mock travelogue, popular at the time
This section comes from part three of the novel
The floating island of Laputa is inhabited by people Swift sees in the British government: “shortsighted and impractical intellectual” men who experiment with society
He believed that they put more faith in science than in truth

19. Class Work Read the selection Literary Critique, page 309, #s 1-4
Complete the writing assignment (handout)