ALEXANDER POPE
THE RAPE OF THE LOCK [An Exhaustive Critical Study, with Text, Paraphrase, Notes and Explanations]
RAMJI LALL, M.A. Formerly Principal Dyal Singh College (University of Delhi) New Delhi
Thirty-Sixth Edition 2009
RAMA BROTHERS INDIA PVT. LTD. EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHERS Janak Plaza, 2021, Bank Street, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110 005
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Price : Rs. 110.00 © Reserved by the Publishers (Excluding the Text) ISBN 81-7581-001-7 First Edition : 1970 Thirty-Sixth Edition : 2009 Published by : RAMA BROTHERS INDIA PVT. LTD. (Educational Publishers) Janak Plaza, 2021, Bank Street, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110 005. Phone : 28757313, 28755936 Tele-Fax : 91-11-28755936 E-Mail :
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PREFACE TO THE THIRTY-SIXTH EDITION “A dainty little gem and Pope’s most perfect piece”---this description of The Rape of the Lock sums up the character of this poem. The Rape of the Lock takes us into an enchanted, brilliant world in which almost nothing is dull. The poem has been called a jewel of many facets, each shining with a rare brilliance. The purpose of the present critical study of the poem to introduce the reader to those many facets. Although the poem has in some respects lost its appeal for the modern reader, its brilliant wit and ingenious fancy still continue to delight, entertain, and stimulate all those who go through it. This book has proved immensely useful to students from the examination point of view. The fact that yet another edition of it has become necessary shows that its utility continues undiminished even as the greatness of the poem as a satire remains undimmed. New Delhi January, 2009
PUBLISHERS
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION The critique on a famous poem is intended to benefit advanced students of the English Literature at the Indian universities. The various aspects of the poem have been considered and discussed at some length. A glance at the contents will show that an exhaustive critical study of the poem has been made. This addition to the existing editions of the The Rape of the Lock can be defended only with reference to the utility of this book for the class of readers for whom it is designed. The reception accorded by students to my books on Browning, Tennyson, Matthew Arnold, and Keats also justifies this venture on my part, and I would like to make the same observation about this book which I previously made about each of others: “No originality is claimed for this work. It is not a research paper. The object was to select and co-ordinate critical material and to present it, with suitable illustrations from the text, in an easily intelligible and assimilable form.” The inclusion of the text and its paraphrase should add to the value of this book for examination purposes. New Delhi August, 1970
RAMJI LALL
CONTENTS 1. A Short Biographical Sketch of Pope
1
2. The Poetic Works of Pope
5
3. Pope as a Poet
8
4. The Age of Pope Or The Classical Age
19
5. The Rape of the Lock (A Critical Analysis) (1) Introduction
25
(2) A Critical Analysis of The Rape of the Lock
26
(3) Miscellaneous Comments on The Rape of the Lock by Critics
36
(4) The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-Epic Or Mock-Heroic or Heroi-Comical Poem
46
(5) The Machinery of The Rape of the Lock
52
(6) The Rape of the Lock as a Picture of Contemporary Fashionable Life Or The Rape of the Lock as a Picture of the Aristocratic Life of the Eighteenth Century
57
(7) The Rape of the Lock as a Social Satire
62
(8) The Rape of the Lock—The Most Exquisite Specimen of Filigree Work
68
(9) The Moral of The Rape of the Lock
70
(10) Characters in The Rape of the Lock
73
(11) The Cave of Spleen
82
(12) Sexual Implications of the Poem
84
(13) Points of Style and Technique
86
6. THE RAPE OF THE LOCK [Text with Complete Paraphrase] 7. Explanatory and Critical Notes
90 140
(viii)
8. Important Questions with Answers Q. 1. Pope has been regarded as pre-eminently the poet of his age. Consider this aspect of his work with reference to The Rape of the Lock. Or In The Rape of the Lock Pope has represented both the achievements and the limitations of eighteenth century English society. Examine this statement with illustrations from the poem. Or In Pope’s work the social life of the time is reflected as in a mirror. Illustrate this from The Rape of the Lock. Or Examine The Rape of the Lock as an example of the close relationship between literature and society in the eighteenth century. Or Show how The Rape of the Lock conveys to us the glitter and elegance of the eighteenth century.
200
Q. 2. What is a mock-heroic poem ? Illustrate fully the mockheroic quality of The Rape of the Lock. Or Pope described The Rape of the Lock as an heroi-comical poem. What did Pope mean and how far does he succeed in his purpose ? Or The Rape of the Lock is a poem largely distinguished among mock-epics, by employing a variety of ironic contrasts. Discuss. Or The Rape of the Lock is the perfection of the mockheroic, said Hazlitt. Elucidate the statement. Or Write a note on the mock-heroic character of The Rape of the Lock.
203
Q. 3. Consider The Rape of the Lock as a social satire. Or Does The Rape of the Lock justify Pope’s claim to greatness as a satirical poet ?
(ix)
Or Discuss the statement that the mockery in The Rape of the Lock takes different forms and employs different devices. Or What aspects of the life of the eighteenth century are satirised by Pope in The Rape of the Lock ? Or “The Rape of the Lock stands forward as the most exquisite example of ludicrous poetry.” Discuss.
207
Q. 4. “Pope aims at beauty, and The Rape of the Lock, a poem with no substance at all, is nothing but grace.” Do you agree with this statement ? Give illustrations in support of your answer. Or “The most airy, the most ingenious, the most delightful of Pope’s compositions.” Consider this estimate of The Rape of the Lock. Or What features of The Rape of the Lock make it a source of perpetual delight ? Illustrate your answer. Or What qualities of The Rape of the Lock do you like most and why ?
210
Q. 5. What part does the supernatural “machinery” play in The Rape of the Lock ? Does it heighten the mock-heroic effect ? Or Write a brief account of the nature, activities, and role of the supernatural beings in The Rape of the Lock. Or Comment on Pope’s use and treatment of natural machinery in The Rape of the Lock. Or What is meant by “machinery” in an epic poem ? What use of machinery does Pope make in The Rape of the Lock ?
213
Q. 6. Dr. Johnson said that in The Rape of the Lock “new things are made familiar, and familiar things are made new.” Elucidate and illustrate this remark.
217
Q. 7. “......And the effect of the poem The Rape of the Lock lies
(x)
in the exquisite adjustment between the epic and mundane planes on which it moves.” Justify. Or Trace the progress of the action in The Rape of the Lock so as to show the balance between the mock-epic world and the every-day world.
220
Q. 8. Would you regard Belinda as a goddess, as a pretty spoiled child, or as a flirt ? Or Explain the statement that the personality of Belinda in The Rape of the Lock appears in many different lights. Or “This Cleopatra-like variety indicates simultaneously her charm and a vacuous lack of character.” Discuss this estimate of Belinda in The Rape of the Lock.
223
Q. 9. Write a note on the construction of The Rape of the Lock. Or “Nothing could better illustrate Pope’s power of bearing in mind at one and the same time general design and particular detail.” Discuss with reference to The Rape of the Lock. Or Discuss the statement that The Rape of the Lock is a triumph of technique and construction.
226
Q. 10. The Rape of the Lock is a “page torn from the petty pleasure-seeking life of a fashionable beauty.” Discuss.
229
Select Bibliography
234
