Alexander Pope

1688–1744 · England

Enlightenment1 work in canonPoetry

Biography

English poet, the dominant figure of Augustan poetry and master of the heroic couplet. His mock-epic The Rape of the Lock and philosophical Essay on Man showcase his unmatched technical brilliance and biting wit. Despite chronic illness and physical disability, he became the first English poet to support himself entirely through his writing.

Works in Canon (1)