Master of the heroic couplet, Alexander Pope is widely considered the greatest English verse satirist. This insightful volume examines Pope’s life and work alongside the work of his contemporaries—Matthew Prior, William Somerville, Daniel Defoe, Joseph Addison, and many other poets and prose writers.

Master of the heroic couplet, Alexander Pope is widely considered the greatest English verse satirist. This insightful volume examines Pope’s life and work alongside the work of his contemporaries—Matthew Prior, William Somerville, Daniel Defoe, Joseph Addison, and many other poets and prose writers.

Master of the heroic couplet, Alexander Pope is widely considered the greatest English verse satirist. This insightful volume examines Pope’s life and work alongside the work of his contemporaries—Matthew Prior, William Somerville, Daniel Defoe, Joseph Addison, and many other poets and prose writers.