Pope is wonderful. I didn’t know Byron was so favorably disposed -- but I’m not surprised. Both poets are masters of a craft that doesn’t quite conform to our post-Romantic understanding of “lyric” poetry. Auden was a 20th century successor in some ways -- his “Letter to Lord Byron” owes just as much to Pope as to its titular addressee. And for all his reputation for polish and poise, Pope was capable of both lush romanticism (as indicated by your excerpts) and a vituperation raised to the level of apocalypse (the Dunciad, which, with its explanatory apparatus and personalized eschatology feels quite modern). I was fortunate enough to be exposed to Pope and Dryden in high school -- but we’re a dwindling crowd.
Pope is wonderful. I didn’t know Byron was so favorably disposed -- but I’m not surprised. Both poets are masters of a craft that doesn’t quite conform to our post-Romantic understanding of “lyric” poetry. Auden was a 20th century successor in some ways -- his “Letter to Lord Byron” owes just as much to Pope as to its titular addressee. And for all his reputation for polish and poise, Pope was capable of both lush romanticism (as indicated by your excerpts) and a vituperation raised to the level of apocalypse (the Dunciad, which, with its explanatory apparatus and personalized eschatology feels quite modern). I was fortunate enough to be exposed to Pope and Dryden in high school -- but we’re a dwindling crowd.