48:
729:
656:
383:
were among other critics: Rymer, who had the strongest critique said, "till of late years
England was as free from critics as it is from wolves...they who are least acquainted with the game are aptest to bark at everything that comes in their way."; Swift's statement concentrated on critics who were
659:
64:(1688–1744), published in 1711. It is the source of the famous quotations "To err is human; to forgive, divine", "A little learning is a dang'rous thing" (frequently misquoted as "A little knowledge is a dang'rous thing"), and "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread".
262:. This is a testament to his belief that the "Imitation of the ancients" is the ultimate standard for taste. Pope also says, "True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance,/ As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance" (362–363), meaning poets are made, not born.
88:
of satire, it is a verse essay primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave in the new literary commerce of Pope's contemporary age. The poem covers a range of good criticism and advice, and represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age.
352:
The phrase "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" from Part III (line 625) has become part of the popular lexicon, and has been used for and in various works.
17:
744:
487:, Dudley—an angel—at one point says to the bishop, "Angels rush in where fools fear to tread," playing on this phrase (while disrupting its
97:
The verse "essay" was not an uncommon form in eighteenth-century poetry, deriving ultimately from classical forebears including Horace's
35:
825:
692:
76:
in 1707. It was first published in May 1711. Many of the poem's ideas had existed in prose form since at least 1706. Composed in
910:
602:
39:
575:
521:
963:
384:
damned "as barbarous as a judge who should take up a resolution to hang all men that came before him upon trial."
903:
545:
31:
685:
716:
30:"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" and "a little learning" redirect here. For other uses, see
367:, who is mentioned mockingly in the work. Consequently, Dennis also appears in Pope's later satire,
112:
Pope contends in the poem's opening couplets that bad criticism does greater harm than bad writing:
937:
867:
678:
645:
618:
364:
958:
785:
563:
259:
832:
793:
483:
273:, the last of the critics mentioned, was a mentor and friend of Pope who had died in 1708.
270:
99:
8:
968:
809:
817:
638:
598:
581:
571:
551:
541:
535:
517:
310:
81:
769:
186:
Pope delineates common faults of poets, e.g., settling for easy and clichéd rhymes:
890:
510:
897:
852:
762:
728:
105:
77:
47:
916:
837:
801:
701:
540:(a one-volume edition of the Twickenham text ed.). Yale University Press.
531:
380:
292:
61:
952:
932:
555:
859:
585:
505:
376:
624:
844:
369:
85:
885:
251:
633:
665:
73:
670:
317:. The first line of this couplet is often misquoted as "a little
255:
243:
60:
is one of the first major poems written by the
English writer
488:
247:
242:
Throughout the poem, Pope refers to ancient writers such as
314:
328:
also gives this famous line (towards the end of Part II):
72:
The first fragmentary drafts of the work were written in
595:
The
Cambridge Introduction to Eighteenth-Century Poetry
570:. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 311–312.
509:
950:
129:But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence,
745:Peri Bathous, Or the Art of Sinking in Poetry
686:
504:
191:And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line,
592:
269:concludes with a reference to Pope himself.
227:The Reader's threaten'd (not in vain) with
223:Crystal Streams with pleasing Murmurs creep
151:Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss;
826:Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady
693:
679:
568:The restoration and the eighteenth century
309:This is in reference to the spring in the
117:'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill
625:Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
46:
18:Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
92:
14:
951:
363:was famously and fiercely attacked by
674:
562:
355:
911:Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?
530:
80:(pairs of adjacent rhyming lines of
24:
700:
25:
980:
612:
265:As is usual in Pope's poems, the
727:
654:
475:
193:While they ring round the same
904:Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus
597:. Cambridge University Press.
466:
457:
448:
439:
430:
421:
412:
403:
394:
67:
27:English poem by Alexander Pope
13:
1:
642:(much punctuation is missing)
498:
291:Drink deep, or taste not the
313:in Macedonia, sacred to the
7:
840:'s Latin translation; 1728)
664:public domain audiobook at
537:The Poems of Alexander Pope
280:includes a famous couplet:
10:
985:
717:Three Hours After Marriage
534:(1963). Butt, John (ed.).
211:the cooling Western Breeze
36:Where Angels Fear to Tread
29:
925:
878:
754:
736:
725:
708:
516:. Yale University Press.
650:, by Walter Jackson Bate
387:
217:whispers thro' the Trees
964:Works by Alexander Pope
868:Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot
321:is a dangerous thing".
646:A Study Guide for the
512:Alexander Pope: A Life
350:
307:
240:
184:
52:
778:An Essay on Criticism
661:An Essay on Criticism
634:An Essay on Criticism
620:An Essay on Criticism
593:Sitter, John (2011).
361:An Essay on Criticism
330:
289:is a dangerous thing;
282:
278:An Essay on Criticism
215:In the next Line, it
188:
145:, but Numbers err in
114:
84:) and written in the
57:An Essay on Criticism
50:
794:The Rape of the Lock
209:Where-e'er you find
135:, than mis-lead our
93:Structure and themes
418:Sitter 2011, p. 34.
171:makes many more in
848:(1728–29, 1742–43)
810:The Temple of Fame
409:Mack 1985, p. 177.
400:Mack 1985, p. 168.
356:Critical reception
53:
946:
945:
818:Eloisa to Abelard
639:Project Gutenberg
604:978-0-521-84824-4
484:The Bishop's Wife
481:In the 1947 film
472:Pope 1963, p. 163
463:Pope 1963, p. 160
454:Pope 1963, p. 151
445:Pope 1963, p. 155
436:Pope 1963, p. 154
427:Pope 1963, p. 144
311:Pierian Mountains
82:iambic pentameter
40:A Little Learning
16:(Redirected from
976:
731:
695:
688:
681:
672:
671:
658:
657:
641:
608:
589:
559:
527:
515:
492:
479:
473:
470:
464:
461:
455:
452:
446:
443:
437:
434:
428:
425:
419:
416:
410:
407:
401:
398:
348:
305:
238:
182:
21:
984:
983:
979:
978:
977:
975:
974:
973:
949:
948:
947:
942:
921:
898:Scriblerus Club
874:
853:An Essay on Man
763:Ode on Solitude
750:
732:
723:
704:
699:
655:
631:
615:
605:
578:
548:
532:Pope, Alexander
524:
501:
496:
495:
480:
476:
471:
467:
462:
458:
453:
449:
444:
440:
435:
431:
426:
422:
417:
413:
408:
404:
399:
395:
390:
358:
349:
346:
343:
306:
303:
300:
290:
287:little Learning
239:
236:
233:
226:
220:
214:
208:
205:expected Rhymes
198:
195:unvary'd Chimes
192:
183:
180:
177:
162:
152:
150:
140:
130:
128:
118:
106:De rerum natura
103:and Lucretius'
95:
78:heroic couplets
70:
43:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
982:
972:
971:
966:
961:
944:
943:
941:
940:
935:
929:
927:
923:
922:
920:
919:
917:Heroic couplet
914:
907:
900:
895:
894:
893:
882:
880:
876:
875:
873:
872:
864:
856:
849:
841:
838:Samuel Johnson
829:
822:
814:
806:
802:Windsor-Forest
798:
790:
782:
774:
766:
758:
756:
752:
751:
749:
748:
740:
738:
734:
733:
726:
724:
722:
721:
712:
710:
706:
705:
702:Alexander Pope
698:
697:
690:
683:
675:
669:
668:
652:
643:
628:
627:
614:
613:External links
611:
610:
609:
603:
590:
576:
566:, ed. (1973).
560:
546:
528:
522:
500:
497:
494:
493:
474:
465:
456:
447:
438:
429:
420:
411:
402:
392:
391:
389:
386:
381:Jonathan Swift
357:
354:
344:
337:; to Forgive,
331:
301:
283:
234:
189:
178:
115:
94:
91:
69:
66:
62:Alexander Pope
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
981:
970:
967:
965:
962:
960:
959:British poems
957:
956:
954:
939:
936:
934:
933:Martha Blount
931:
930:
928:
924:
918:
915:
912:
908:
906:
905:
901:
899:
896:
892:
889:
888:
887:
884:
883:
881:
877:
870:
869:
865:
862:
861:
857:
854:
850:
847:
846:
842:
839:
835:
834:
830:
827:
823:
820:
819:
815:
812:
811:
807:
804:
803:
799:
796:
795:
791:
788:
787:
783:
780:
779:
775:
772:
771:
767:
764:
760:
759:
757:
753:
746:
742:
741:
739:
735:
730:
719:
718:
714:
713:
711:
707:
703:
696:
691:
689:
684:
682:
677:
676:
673:
667:
663:
662:
653:
651:
649:
644:
640:
636:
635:
630:
629:
626:
622:
621:
617:
616:
606:
600:
596:
591:
587:
583:
579:
577:0-19-501614-9
573:
569:
565:
564:Price, Martin
561:
557:
553:
549:
543:
539:
538:
533:
529:
525:
523:0-300-03391-5
519:
514:
513:
507:
506:Mack, Maynard
503:
502:
490:
486:
485:
478:
469:
460:
451:
442:
433:
424:
415:
406:
397:
393:
385:
382:
378:
374:
372:
371:
366:
362:
353:
342:
340:
336:
329:
327:
322:
320:
316:
312:
304:lines 215–216
299:
297:
295:
288:
281:
279:
274:
272:
271:William Walsh
268:
263:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
237:lines 347–353
232:
230:
224:
218:
212:
206:
202:
196:
187:
176:
174:
170:
166:
161:alone expose,
160:
156:
148:
144:
138:
134:
126:
122:
113:
110:
108:
107:
102:
101:
90:
87:
86:Horatian mode
83:
79:
75:
65:
63:
59:
58:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
32:Fools Rush In
19:
902:
866:
860:Moral Essays
858:
843:
831:
816:
808:
800:
792:
784:
777:
776:
768:
715:
660:
647:
632:
619:
594:
567:
536:
511:
482:
477:
468:
459:
450:
441:
432:
423:
414:
405:
396:
377:Thomas Rymer
375:
368:
360:
359:
351:
338:
334:
332:
325:
323:
318:
308:
293:
286:
284:
277:
275:
266:
264:
241:
228:
222:
216:
210:
204:
200:
194:
190:
185:
172:
168:
164:
158:
154:
146:
142:
141:Some few in
136:
132:
131:To tire our
124:
120:
116:
111:
104:
98:
96:
71:
56:
55:
54:
51:Frontispiece
44:
938:John Caryll
845:The Dunciad
370:The Dunciad
365:John Dennis
276:Part II of
157:might once
100:Ars Poetica
68:Composition
969:1711 poems
953:Categories
547:0300003404
499:References
333:To Err is
199:With sure
119:Appear in
886:Popeswood
863:(1731–35)
770:Pastorals
556:855720858
491:pattern).
319:knowledge
252:Aristotle
203:of still
181:lines 1–8
891:Binfield
855:" (1734)
828:" (1717)
765:" (1700)
747:" (1727)
666:LibriVox
508:(1985).
489:metrical
347:line 525
345:—
302:—
260:Longinus
235:—
179:—
133:Patience
74:Abberley
879:Related
833:Messiah
786:Messiah
623:at the
586:2341106
294:Pierian
201:Returns
159:himself
125:Judging
121:Writing
926:People
871:(1735)
821:(1717)
813:(1715)
805:(1713)
797:(1712)
789:(1712)
781:(1711)
773:(1709)
755:Poetry
737:Essays
720:(1717)
601:
584:
574:
554:
544:
520:
339:Divine
296:Spring
256:Horace
244:Virgil
123:or in
38:, and
709:Plays
648:Essay
388:Notes
335:Human
326:Essay
315:Muses
267:Essay
248:Homer
229:Sleep
173:Prose
169:Verse
137:Sense
599:ISBN
582:OCLC
572:ISBN
552:OCLC
542:ISBN
518:ISBN
379:and
324:The
258:and
163:Now
155:Fool
147:this
143:that
127:ill;
637:at
221:If
167:in
165:One
955::
580:.
550:.
373:.
341:.
298::
285:A
254:,
250:,
246:,
231:.
175:.
153:A
109:.
34:,
913:"
909:"
851:"
836:(
824:"
761:"
743:"
694:e
687:t
680:v
607:.
588:.
558:.
526:.
225:,
219:;
213:,
207:.
197:,
149:,
139::
42:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
_Essay_on_Criticism.jpg)