An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope

Pope’s Essay on Man, a masterpiece of concise summary in itself, can fairly be summed up as an optimistic enquiry into mankind’s place in the vast Chain of Being. Each of the poem’s four Epistles takes a different perspective, presenting Man in relation to the universe, as individual, in society and, finally, tracing his prospects for achieving the goal of happiness. In choosing stately rhyming couplets to explore his theme, Pope sometimes becomes obscure through compressing his language overmuch. By and large, the work is a triumphant exercise in philosophical poetry, communicating its broad and commonplace truths in superbly balanced phrases which remind us that Pope, alas, is one of the most quoted but least read writers in English: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always To be Blest.” (Summary by Martin Geeson)

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Episodes

00 – Author’s Preface

Tuesday Jan 02, 2024

Tuesday Jan 02, 2024

01 – Epistle I

Monday Jan 01, 2024

Monday Jan 01, 2024

02 – Epistle II

Sunday Dec 31, 2023

Sunday Dec 31, 2023

03 – Epistle III

Saturday Dec 30, 2023

Saturday Dec 30, 2023

04 – Epistle IV

Friday Dec 29, 2023

Friday Dec 29, 2023

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