Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies, Online ISSN 2278-8808, SJIF 2021 = 7.380, www.srjis.com PEER REVIEWED & REFEREED JOURNAL, SEPT-OCT, 2022, VOL- 10/73
BELINDA’S WORLD OF TRIVIALITY IN THE RAPE OF THE LOCK: A MICROCOSM OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND AND THE IRONIC JUXTAPOSITION OF HER STORY WITH THE CLASSICAL EPICS Tripti Bhati Research Scholar
Paper Received On: 25 OCTOBER 2022 Peer Reviewed On: 31 OCTOBER 2022 Published On: 01 NOVEMBER 2022
Abstract The Rape of the Lock is one of the best examples of mock-epic or mock-heroic poems written in English History. It is an imitation of Horatian satire, written in the Eighteenth-Century by Alexander Pope, in which he uses irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration to expose follies and vanities of the aristocratic or upper class in England in an undignified and grandiose manner. Written in heroic couplets about a trivial subject matter, the poet juxtaposes the trivial world of the upper class with the heroic deeds mentioned in the classical epics. This paper navigates the epic allusions used in The Rape of the Lock to mock the shortcomings of the upper class in England and to also satirize the epic tradition itself. Keywords: Mock-epic; The Eighteenth-Century; Augustan Age; Neoclassical Period; Imperialism; Aristocracy; Triviality; Patriarchy.
Scholarly Research Journal's is licensed Based on a work at www.srjis.com
The Eighteenth-Century is also known as Augustan Age because writers during this age consciously imitated the highly structured and stylized works of the Augustan writers of Rome like Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and others. This period also coincides with the Neoclassical Period as writers during this period focused on classicizing the then-contemporary issues. The Rape of the Lock is a classic example of both, a mock-epic and a neoclassical work. Written by Alexander Pope, a poet, satirist, and translator of Eighteenth-Century England, the first version of the poem was published in May 1712 and the revised edition was published in March 1714. Copyright © 2022, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies