Pope: Selected Poetry

by Alexander Pope

Book Overview

Selected by Douglas Grant

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140585087
• ISBN13: 9780140585087
• Release Date: September 1985
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

How could they leave out "Lies"

My only comment... if you like this author, look up his poem "Lies". It's one of my favorites! Otherwise, nice collection.

Step aside Byron, Dryden, and Shelley

Step aside Byron, Dryden, and Shelley Words are not enough to describe the great pope, I have read the works of many poets but none come close to Pope. Practically self educated he puts words in such a way and with such wit, that you often feel and say "That is so true, so beautifully described"........ take a minute and contemplate on the below. A great Master 1. Some in search of wisdom, lose their common sense and then turn critics in their own defense. 2. Men deal with their life as children with their play, who first misuse then cast their toys away. 3. Launch not beyond your depth but be discreet , and mark the point were sense and dulness meet. 4. A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong which is but saying, in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Consult the Genius of the Place

When I first started reading this collection, I thought that eighteenth century poetry was dry and inferior to later forms of literature, especially when compared with the innovations of the twentieth century. After delving deeply into some of Pope's major poems, I realized how wrong I was. Pope's wit was astounding, and he was a true poetic genius in his ability to capture concepts and arguments in beautifully rendered images and metaphors. His abilities are best summarized in these famous lines from his "Essay on Criticism": "True wit is nature to advantage dressed, / What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed." I was often surprised by Pope's ability to articulate ideas that had occurred to me, but I was never able to articulate myself. It is a testament to Pope's insight into the human condition that his lines still ring true three hundred years since their first appearance. The subtle, complex ideas found in his poetry will expand your thoughts in ways you never though possible, especially if you have never experienced poetry from this period before. For me, some of the highlights from this collection are "The Rape of the Lock", a beautifully detailed mock-epic steeped in the material culture of the eighteenth century; "Windsor Forest", a topographical poem that encodes and critiques the history of England in a description of its landscape; "Epistle to Burlington", a stinging criticism of "false taste"; and "Eloisa to Abelard", an emotionally wrenching letter of tragic medieval romance. For those interested in the writing and critiquing of literature (admittedly, not everyone), the brilliant "Essay on Criticism" will be the standout piece here, with its vast complexities and beautiful imagery. Furthermore, the detailed notes in the back of this edition should fill you in on any historical or literary references that will assist in your interpretation of the poems. This edition is an amazing introduction to the poetry of one of the greatest writers in the English language, and a good first step into a fascinating period of literature. Don't be afraid! Read this book!

Yevtushenko Selected Poems

This was concurrently, my introduction to Russian poetry and the poetry of Yevgeny Yevtushenko back in my early 20's. The simple prose style of the translations was appealing to a 20 year old. But since then, many of the poems have become touchstones for my own receeding youth and my Slavic family heritage. The lengthy opening poem, "Zima Junction", tells of Yevteshenko's own youthful days growing up in a small town in Siberia. The final poem, "People", affirms the spirituality of life without a single reference to religion. "Encounter" describes a chance encounter of Yevtushenko with Hemingway in Copenhagen. ("It was the very image of Hemingway. Later I heard that it was Hemingway.") "Babiy Yar" is perhaps, the most famous poem in the collection. It describes the slaughter of Russian Jews by the Nazis and the collusion of the antisemite Soviet regime. The last few lines of this poem are some of the most moving I have ever read. "No Jewish blood runs among my blood, but I am as bitterly and hardily hated by every anti-semite as if I were a Jew. By this I am a Russian."