Pope's physical ailments and the acrimony with which political and literary pundits attacked both his person and his work should never be forgotten in evaluating, say, the optimistic faith of An Essay on Man or the acidulous satire of The Dunciad. ... Arbuthnot to "this long disease, my life,"" is no literary confabulation but an accurate description of his sufferings (Adler Internet; Gurney Internet). ... Thus, Pope's literary career was plagued at its inception by mean-spirited attacks from henchmen of the political and literary establishment (Adler Internet; Gurney Internet). ...

• Word Count: 590
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Graduate