Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Michael Dahl, c. 1727 | |
| Born | 21 May 1688 O.S. London, England |
| Died | 30 May 1744 (aged 56) Twickenham, Middlesex, England |
Resting place | St Mary's Church, Twickenham, Middlesex, England |
| Occupations | Writer, translator |
| Writing career | |
| Genres | Poetry, satire, translation |
| Notable works | An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, his translation of Homer |
Movements | Classicism, Augustan literature |
| Signature | |
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Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, Pope is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry including An Essay on Criticism (1711), The Rape of the Lock (1712–1717), The Dunciad (1728–1743), and for his translations of Homer.
Pope is often quoted in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, some of his verses having entered common parlance (e.g. "damning with faint praise" or "to err is human; to forgive, divine").