A mock-heroic narrative poem in English by Alexander Pope, first published in 1712 and expanded in 1714. It satirizes a real social quarrel, a young nobleman's theft of a lock of hair from a society beauty, by treating the trivial incident with the full machinery of classical epic, gods, battles and elevated language turned to a drawing-room dispute, making it one of the most celebrated examples of mock-epic in English poetry. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
Original Language Composed, From (Year) FAQs
Why is the poem called The Rape of the Lock?
The title uses the older sense of rape, meaning to snatch or carry off, for the theft of a lock of hair.
The title does not refer to sexual rape. It uses an earlier meaning of the word, taken from the Latin rapere, which means to snatch, to grab or to carry off, and here it names the theft of a lock of hair. The poem satirises a minor real incident that Pope heard about from his friend John Caryll, in which Lord Petre cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor's hair without permission.
Connections
Authored By
Source The Rape of the Lock (Wikipedia)
In Genre
Satire, Genres Source The Rape of the Lock (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source The Rape of the Lock (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. The Rape of the Lock (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead section
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope.
Lead
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope.
Lead paragraph
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope. One of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque, it was first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations (May 1712) in two cantos (334 lines); a revised edition "Written by Mr. Pope" followed in March 1714 as a five-canto version (794 lines) accompanied by six engravings.
Authored By: Alexander Pope, Lead section, authorship
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope.
In Genre: Satire, Lead section, satire description
It satirizes a real social quarrel, a young nobleman's theft of a lock of hair from a society beauty, by treating the trivial incident with the full machinery of classical epic, gods, battles and elevated language turned to a drawing-room dispute.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.