Copyright
William HutchingsPublished On
2023-12-19Page Range
pp. 229–238Language
- English
Print Length
10 pages
22. The First Epistle of the Second Book of Horace Imitated. To Augustus
- William Hutchings (author)
Chapter of: ‘Wit’s Wild Dancing Light’: Reading the Poems of Alexander Pope(pp. 229–238)
Chapter 22. The First Epistle of the Second Book of Horace Imitated. To Augustus is the longest of Pope’s Imitations of Horace, and it is a magnificent example of sustained double-meaning masquerading as a humble address to his monarch, George II, whom Pope regarded as irredeemably uncultivated. George’s second name was Augustus, identical with the emperor for whom Horace wrote. Several extracts are then read in detail to mark the progress of Pope’s ironic argument. Why do people consider writers of earlier times superior to those of the present? But those supposed greats had their faults. Anyway, there is no need for you to be concerned, because poets are harmless creatures. May I, though, respectfully propose that we poets may be of some use? Some monarchs have indeed encouraged the arts. I would dearly love to be good enough to rise to a level fit for your great status. Alas, I fear I may not be.
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.