Kutlu 1

Doa Hseyin KUTLU

Professor Metin TOPRAK

3. Class Evening

090112062

December 21, 2012

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Ideas of Alexander Pope in Essay On Criticism

1. Introduction to Age of Enlightenment & Essay on Criticism

The Age of Enlightenment was a widespread literary and intellectual movement

took place in Europe and England. This age encouraged intellectual freedom as well as
freedom from prejudice, religious beliefs, and politics. In that age, Neoclassical
Movement which on literature and art was dominant began in western literatures during
Renaissance and ends in 1798, but concept of human nature as main idea of art changes
radically in the very beginning of 18th century with the impact of rationalism in
philosophy and empiricism in psychology (Kantarcioglu 59). Neoclassical Movement
in English Literature, on the other hand; divided into three parts: Restoration Age (1660-
1700), the Augustan Age (1700-1750) and the Age of Johnson (1750-1798).
Importantly, with the lights of Essay on Criticism by Pope the Augustan Ages way of
thinking clarifies the Age of Enlightenment and Neoclassical Movement in England
during the term of puritan worldview (Cody). Alexander Pope as the subject matter is a
poet, translator, wit and a catholic was born in London in 1688. In the protestant-
controlled England, he was raised by a catholic family, could not get a university
education and mostly affected by the Ancient Greek and Roman literary critics, poets
and philosophers (Bresley 24). One of his earlier masterpieces Essay on Man was
written in the way of Horaces Ars Poetica that Pope identifies original sin of man as
pride and seizes ethic principals based on hierarchical universe. On the other hand his
later critic Essay on Criticism examines the form of criticism that Pope identifies general
principals of good critism and main flaws a critic prone to (Habib 291). To understand
the basic unit of Enlightenment in England and Popes literary concept, the masterpiece
of Alexander Pope should be understood clearly that Popes perspective in Essay on
Criticism is about firstly general principals of good critism, secondly essence of art and
its parallelism to human nature, and lastly the term of linguistic medium used in a work
of art and all of these will comprehensively be explained and analyzed throughout the
passages.
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2. A. General Principals of Good Criticism and Poetry in Essay on

Criticism
'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill
Appear in Writing or in Judging ill,
But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence,
To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense
Some few in that, but Numbers err in this,
Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss;
A Fool might once himself alone expose,
Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose (18).
Pope, Alexander. Essay on Criticism. 1711.

In Essay on Criticism Pope identifies general principals of good criticism and

poetry, at first. First of all, Pope discusses that bad critics do more harm to people than
bad poets (Kantarcioglu 60). By this vision Pope tries to tell that while bad poets can
tire peoples patience, bad critics can mislead peoples sense. Secondly, a poet,
according to Pope, should be born with his innate capacity to create; on the other side,
a critic should have true taste and both a poet and critic should cultivate their talents
through education. It means that ability to criticize and poetize is not enough to become
a good critic and good poet, both of them should develop and polish their skills with the
knowledge. Lastly but most importantly, Pope, like other neoclassical literary critics,
believes that poets and literary critics should be acquainted with classical works of art
and imitate them. For him, a literary critic who is man of common sense, should have a
good character, should know classical theory of literature as well as its historical
perspective and the religious and ethical values of his time. Likewise, Pope intensely
suggest to a literary critics that they should follow the objectivity and flexibility of best
Greek and Roman literary critics as Aristotle, Longinus and Horace (Habib 295). All in
all, Pope in Essay on Criticism shows what is expected from a literary critic, a poet and
their responsibility to achieve the general principals of good criticism.
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2. B. How does Pope describe Essence of Art and Human Nature in

Essay on Criticism?
Unerring Nature, still divinely bright,
One clear, unchang'd and Universal Light,
Life, Force, and Beauty, must to all impart,
At once the Source, and End, and Test of Art.
Art from that Fund each just Supply provides,
Works without Show, and without Pomp presides:
In some fair Body thus th' informing Soul
With Spirits feeds, with Vigour fills the whole,
Each Motion guides, and ev'ry Nerve sustains;
It self unseen, but in th' Effects, remains (70-80).
Pope, Alexander. Essay on Criticism. 1711.

Essence of art and its function to human nature is the second matter of Popes
Essay on Criticism. Firstly, Pope thinks that essence of art is human nature, that is, art
is the universal moral experience of man (Kantarcioglu 61). Then it is easily understood
that what a literary critic should look in for a work of art is whether it expresses mans
universal experience or not. On the other hand, Pope also supposes his ideas about
human nature that for him is both the source and test of art (62). Thus, the poet who is
faithful to human nature can easily control his wit with his common sense, or judgement
and the poet also should observe the human nature keenly. Thirdly, human nature is very
keenly observed by the ancient poets and critics that they expressed it in the medium of
art objectively so that Pope expresses the necessity of imitating ancients and its
importance of literary tradition in Essay on Criticism. In the way of supporting his view,
Pope gives an example and says that when Virgil was creating Aeneid, his great epic, to
celebrate the foundation of Rome, first of all he wanted to try his creative genius but
failed, then he found both human nature and the rules methodizing nature in Homer and
was able to create his great epic poem (Kantarcioglu 61). In short, as the view of Pope
in Essay on Criticism; essence of art is human nature, moral universal experience of
man and it has to be imitated as ancient pioneers.

2. C. How should be Linguistic Medium in a Work Of Art for Pope?

Essay on Criticism the masterpiece of Alexander Pope mentions the linguistic
medium in a work of art in a comprehensive way lastly. Primarily, Pope tells that; "True
wit is nature to advantage dressed / What oft was thought but ne'er so well expressed." Thus,
Pope stresses the importance of the medium of expression of the universal experience
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of man (Kantarcoglu 62). It shortly means that form become less important than the
content, because the style for Pope is to express common experience of man. Secondly,
according to Pope art is superior to nature. He says that "Words are like leaves; and where
they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found", and analysis of this sentence
show that ornamental language in a work of art distorts human nature or impoverishes
the content but simplicity and accuracy in language is more important than its form (62).
Last of all; Pope in Essay on Criticism criticizes the poetic diction of the metaphysical
poets of 17th century. As to Pope in Essay on Criticism, metaphysical poetry is full of
exaggerated conceits, or hyperbolas that Pope thinks True ease in writing comes from art,
not chance, as those move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives
offence. The sound must seem an echo to the sense (Kantarcoglu 63). For this reason, the
writers who write well are those who practice very hard and know the rules of writing.
Finally, Pope in Essay on Criticism defines the linguistic medium in a work of art as the
universal moral experience of man, content of a work and its function with the simple
linguistic medium, and metaphysical poetry and its slobbery diction.

3- Conclusion
In summary, one of the best great critic Alexander Pope in Essay on Criticism
suggest poets and critics to follow general principals of good poetry and criticism that
for him they should pursue Aristotles objectivity and intelligence and Horaces creative
imagination and his reality at first. Then Pope suggests to critics and poets, by giving
main idea of art, to imitate human nature itself as the best Greek and Roman poets and
critics did. After all he touches on the language style of metaphysical poets that he
supports the idea of following Quintilians sound and clarity, and Longinuss formal
techniques to create sublime on a work of art. For me as a Roman Catholic Alexander
Pope in Essay on Criticism shows a worldview which synthesizes element of Roman
Catholic outlook, classical principals and deism. What if Pope was born in protestant
family in England? And what if he did not have an illness which expelled him from
society by himself? I think the conclusion of his sense of art and his thought of good
criticism or good poetry would be changed due to the conditions he had lived, but at last
Essay on Criticism is a masterpiece criticism in the history of humanity one of the best.
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Works Cited

Bresler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 4th ed. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Cody, David. Alexander Pope's "Essay on Criticism": An Introduction. U of Hartwick. Jul.

2000 < http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/pope/eoc.html>.

Habib, Rafey A. M. Modern Literary Criticism and Theory. Malden; Blackwell, 2005.

Kantarcioglu, Sevim. Literary Criticism: The Major Literary Movements In Western

Literatures. Ankara: Hatipolu, 1997.

Pope, Alexander. Essay on Criticism. 1711

<http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/popea/critic.htm#line70>.