An Essay on Criticism

An Essay on Criticism (Eng. An Essay on Criticism ) is the first major poem by the English poet Alexander Pope ( 1688-1744 ). Despite the title of the poem is no analysis in the strict sense, but rather a compilation of Pope's various literary positions. When reading the poem it is clear that he turns not necessarily as intended author of the inexperienced reader. Pope turns in this poem the rhyme scheme of " heroic couplets " to " heroic " couplets of iambic pentameter.

The poem was first published in 1711, but was written in 1709. The German translation of JHM Dambeck appeared in 1807. Popes From correspondence shows that many of the ideas for the poem existed since at least 1706. It is in the poem to a Versessay, written in the style of Horace, which is primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave at times Popes in the new literary world. The poem tells of a number of good reviews, and advice, and it also reflects many of the essential literary ideals of this period.

Pope asserts in the opening sequence of the poem that bad reviews a greater harm than poorly written texts:

Despite the harmful effects of bad criticism, literature requires adequate criticism.

Pope describes general error by critics such as the removal easier and stereotyped rhymes:

Throughout the poem away to Pope refers to earlier writers such as Virgil, Homer, Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus. This indicates his belief that the " imitation of ancestors" of the final standard of literary taste. Pope also said: "True ease in writing comes from art, not by chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance " ( " True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As Those move easiest who have learned to dance ", 362-363 ). This means that poets are made, not born.

As it is so common in Pope 's poems, the essay concludes with a reference to Pope himself Walsh, the last of the mentioned critics, was a mentor and friend of Pope, who died in 1710.

The English playwright John Dennis grabbed the Essay on Criticism in violent, since it was mentioned mocking it. As a consequence of Dennis also appeared in a later satire Pope, The Dunciad, on.

Part II of the Essay on Criticism includes a famous couplet:

This refers to the sacred source of the Muses in Pieria in Macedonia. Ironically, the first line of this couplet is often mistakenly cited as "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" and thus in its actual meaning exacerbated because the wrong citation reveals a certain learning deficit.

Part II is also the source of this famous line:

The line " Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear to Tread " (literally: " Mad rush in there where angels not the heart to " freely translated: " blind zeal only hurts !") From the second part came into the English vocabulary and has been used in various works.