POPE, Alexander, 1688-1744

The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems by Alexander Pope

      London : printed for John Sharpe, Duke Street, Piccadilly, M DCCCXXIX. [1829] 0. A very good copy of an early edition of this fine work. 12mo. pp.24/pp.190 . 6.5" x 4" x 0.75" . Original full leather binding in very good condition. Green full calf, with gilt ruled border. Each board with a blind stamp illustration of a Lyre. Edges rubbed. Spine with four raised bands and faded gilt decorated compartments. Marbled page edges and matching endpapers. Title on engraved title page: Pope's Rape Of The Lock. And Other Poems... John Sharpe, 1928." Followed by printed title page (dated 1829) . On colophon: Chiswick: printed by C. Whittingham. Illustrated with a further 4 full-page engravings (each one dated August 1828). Light foxing to the engravings and endpapers, otherwise clean text throughout. A well preserved copy of a scarce work. Referenced by: NSTC 2P21546 ."The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope, first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellany in May 1712 in two cantos (334 lines), but then revised, expanded and reissued under Pope's name on March 2, 1714, in a much-expanded 5-canto version (794 lines). The final form was available in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humor. The poem satirises a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods. It was based on an incident recounted by Pope's friend, John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre, were both from aristocratic recusant Catholic families at a period in England when all denominations except Anglicanism suffered legal restrictions and penalties (for example Petre could not take up his place in the House of Lords as a Catholic). Petre, lusting after Arabella, had cut off a lock of her hair without permission, and the consequent argument had created a breach between the two families. Pope, also a Catholic, wrote the poem at the request of friends in an attempt to "comically merge the two." He utilised the character Belinda to represent Arabella and introduced an entire system of "sylphs," or guardian spirits of virgins, a parodic version of the gods and goddesses of conventional epic." - See Wikipedia . .