One of the best examples of a Mock Epic is Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. ... The main subject that Pope mocks is beauty. Pope addresses beauty in a multitude of ways. ... Pope also reveals the consequences beauty has upon society. ... As Russo, John P., author of Alexander Pope: Tradition and Identity (1972), points out Pope begins with an epic statement that echoes the first line of The Aeneid of Virgil: Arma virorumque cano, "Of arms and the man I sing O Heavenly Muse!" ...

• Word Count: 1581
• Approx Pages: 6

Alexander Pope has long been considered one of the greatest satirists that English literary tradition has ever seen. ... Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" has its foundation in an amorous joke played by the young Lord Petre on Miss Arabella Fermor. ... In the poem the role of the supernatural beings is multi-faceted, and they are used by Pope to demonstrate many ideas. ... This is only one of many striking examples of Pope's use of bathos as a device to aid his satire. ... When we look at the language used by Pope in any sequence concerning the sylphs we can certainly pic...

• Word Count: 2068
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate