Copyright
William HutchingsPublished On
2023-12-19Page Range
pp. 203–206Language
- English
Print Length
4 pages
18. The Second Satire of the First Book of Horace. Imitated in the Manner of Mr Pope
- William Hutchings (author)
Chapter of: ‘Wit’s Wild Dancing Light’: Reading the Poems of Alexander Pope(pp. 203–206)
Chapter 18. The Second Satire of the First Book of Horace Imitated in the Manner of Mr Pope has been a source of embarrassment for some critics and readers. Under cover of a warning about the dangers of adultery, Horace’s poem has a great time exposing wild goings-on in Roman society, with lubricious examples and frank language. Pope’s poem follows Horace’s example, with witty pictures of sexually explicit behaviour, exposing how immoral so-called honourable members of society actually are. The implicit question is: does moral satire really have any reformative effects if this is the result? Still, it’s all good fun.
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.