The moral and social values in Pope's satire after 1728

Abstract

Enjoyment of Pope's satiric poetry is still hampered by two things: the idea that all satire, and Pope's in particular, is negative and destructive; and the habit of confusing the character of Pope the man with the professions of honesty, integrity, etc. in his verse. Modern criticism, which has tended to treat Pope's poetry as a whole, instead of attending to individual poems in detail, hasn't really succeeded in removing these two obstacles to enjoyment. I have tried to argue against them in my introductory chapter; the remainder of the thesis examines the importance and function of social and moral values in Pope's satire, and includes detailed treatment of the Epistles to Bathurst, Burlington and Dr. Arbuthnot. Chapter I briefly indicates some of the most important positive aspects of Pope's satires -- his appeals to Order, Sense, Reason and Nature, and the positive contribution made by tone and feeling in his poetry. These points are brought out by comparison with Swift, Robert Dodsley, Dryden and Young. In the second chapter I have considered some features of Pope's reading public; the high place given to conversation in daily life throughout the eighteenth century; the importance of conversational ideals of decorum, delicacy and clarity in Pope's verse; and finally, the contemporary ideal of the perfect gentleman, the satiric standard of reference in the Epistle to Burlington. Chapter III deals first with two important contemporary ethical codes which Pope rejected as supports (though not as targets) for satire the Puritan morality of the middle classes, and the fashionable stoicism of the well-to-do. The affinities between Pope's moral position and those of some Classical, French and English writers is next considered, with particular attention to Pope's use of a medieval social morality, shared by many Elizabethan satirists, and surviving, in sermons and proverbs, into the eighteenth century. A third section discusses the general moral framework of Pope's satires pride and concupiscence are man's two great vices, and must be opposed by self-knowledge and moderation. The first part of the final chapter examines the contemporary cleavage between the landed and moneyed interests, and its important effect on Pope's work. In the remaining five sections I have considered in detail some specific points: dignity, independence, and personal relations in general, as treated in the Epistle to Arbuthnot; Pope's use of the word 'honest'; his treatment of the sins of pride and ambition; his traditional attitude to the acquisition and use of money; and the virtue of moderation, advocated during Pope's lifetime, and by no one more than Pope himself.