Copyright
William HutchingsPublished On
2023-12-19Page Range
pp. 169–180Language
- English
Print Length
12 pages
15. Epistle to Miss Blount with the Works of Voiture; Epistle to Miss Blount, on her Leaving the Town after the Coronation; An Epistle to a Lady
- William Hutchings (author)
Chapter of: ‘Wit’s Wild Dancing Light’: Reading the Poems of Alexander Pope(pp. 169–180)
Chapter 15. An Epistle to a Lady is the culmination of Pope’s growing concern for the nature and social positioning of women, set within his recurrent emphasis on the power of friendship. Its finale joyfully and respectfully celebrates its addressee, Martha Blount, whom he has known for over twenty years. The shorter Epistle to Miss Blount with the Works of Voiture and Epistle to Miss Blount, on her Leaving the Town after the Coronation emerge from the early years of Pope’s friendship with the sisters Teresa and Martha Blount. The span of these friendships, matched by the arc of the poems themselves, embodies enduring respect and love. A recurrent counterpoint of Pope’s characteristically satirical sketches absorbs these poems within the texture of his broad ethical vision.
Contributors
William Hutchings
(author)Honorary Research Fellow at University of Manchester
William Hutchings was formerly Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning at the University of Manchester, UK and he is presently Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at that university. He now lectures regularly to public groups locally and nationally. He has a wealth of teaching experience on English Literature courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is the editor of Andrew Marvell: Selected Poems, the author of The Poetry of William Cowper, and Literary Criticism: A Practical Guide for Students.