Archive for the ‘English Restoration’ Category »
Listen to the audio book of Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock,” C
Listen to the audio book of Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”
listen to the audio book of Alexander Pope’s . this audio recording is courtesy of Penn Sound, which also has my favorite collection of readings by contemporary poets and writers. check out the site at in
“The Rape of the Lock” is a classic example of the mock-epic form, in which trivial events are narrated in epic verse style with the effect of making them seem even more trivial. Here Pope exhibits his mastery of the heroic couplet, which consists of rhymed pairs of iambic pentameter lines (lines of ten syllables each, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables). Note that Pope’s couplets do not fall into strict iambs, however.
In this poem Pope underscores the absurdity of high society life in England, but takes particular pains to mock female vanity. The “rape” in question is the cutting of a lock of hair from a woman’s head, which sets off an Odyssey of drawing room commotion.
Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock.” This audio book is courtesy of , a wonderful site with lots of high quality recordings.
Alexander Pope
Okay GRE hopefuls. Here’s a trivia question for you. What 17th-century poem is the title of the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” taken from?
Answer: “Eloisa to Abelard”, by Alexander Pope. The poem is based on the 12th century story of Eloisa’s (Heloise’s) illicit love for, and secret marriage to, her teacher Pierre Abélard. When her family finds out about the affair, they are so enraged that in revenge they castrate him, not realizing that the lovers had married.
Listen to the audio book of “”.