An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope (1709)
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“True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learned to dance.
Tis not enough no Harshness gives Offence,
The Sound must seem an Echo to the Sense.”
Over three hundred years ago, Alexander Pope wrote the poem “An Essay on Criticism”. He was barely twenty one years old at the time. In the poem, he clearly expresses the faults and wrong-headed attitudes of some literary critics and at the same time he lays out the path for those who want to write meaningful effective criticism.
While Pope wrote mainly about good writing (which he called Wit) and the role of the critic, there are several lines in the poem that are still widely in circulation.
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“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”
“To err is human; to forgive divine.”
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
“Pride, the never-ending vice of fools”
“For Fools Admire, but Men of Sense Approve.”
What attitudes did Pope fault in critics?
Self pride
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“Some valuing those of their own state of mind,
Still make themselves the measure of mankind:
Fondly we think we honor merit then,
When we but praise ourselves in other men.”.
Cliches
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“Where-e’er you find the cooling Western Breeze,
In the next Line, it whispers thro’ the Trees;
If Chrystal Streams with pleasing Murmurs creep,
The Reader’s threaten’d (not in vain) with Sleep”
Repeating of the general opinion
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“Some ne’er advance a Judgment of their own,
But catch the spreading Notion of the Town;
They reason and conclude by Precedent,
And own stale Nonsense which they ne’er invent.
Some judge of Authors’ Names, not Works, and then
Nor praise nor blame the Writings, but the Men.”
Being too verbose
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Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound,
Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found.
According to Pope, who is the ideal critic?
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“Unbiased, or by favor, or by spite;
Not dully prepossessed, nor blindly right.
Though learned, well-bred, and though well-bred, sincere;
Modestly bold, and humanly severe.
Who to a friend his faults can freely show,
And gladly praise the merit of a foe.
Blessed with a taste exact, yet unconfined;
A knowledge both of books and human kind;
Generous converse; a soul exempt from pride;
And love to praise, with reason on his side.”
I can’t help but think that Alexander Pope got severely burned by a critic sometime before he wrote these lines. He comes down awfully hard on bad critics, and his Ideal Critic is way too good to be true.
Finally, I want to end with some of Pope’s insights into writing itself.
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“Nature’s Chief Masterpiece is writing well.”
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“Music resembles poetry, in each
Are nameless graces which no method can teach,
And which a master-hand alone can reach.”
There are many other insights and good lines in the 745-line poem “An Essay on Criticism”. These are just some of my highlights from the poem.
Tony's Book World 
Posted by Mad Housewife on June 24, 2010 at 2:23 AM
I really look forward to reading this now. Pope is one of those poets I know very little about. All those famous lines!
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Posted by anokatony on June 24, 2010 at 2:56 AM
Hi Mad Housewife,
Isn’t it amazing that all these famous lines which we still hear today were in a poem written over 300 years ago? This is really the only poem of Pope’s I’m familiar with, but he had other famous poems and a translation of The Iliad. I suppose because this poem is more rhetoric than poetry, it was easier for me to appreciate.
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Posted by Tom C on June 24, 2010 at 7:00 AM
How relevant to book blogging.
I like
Some ne’er advance a Judgment of their own,
But catch the spreading Notion of the Town
How wonderful to be able to expound like that at such length and to maintain the quality. Thanks for sharing this one – its a real insight
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Posted by anokatony on June 24, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Hi Tom,
Yes, a lot of what Alexander Pope says in this poem applies to blogging. The entire poem is well worth reading. I guess this poem proves you can write a good poem about just about anything. It doesn’t have to be about moons and Junes, etc. .
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Posted by whisperinggums on June 24, 2010 at 11:52 PM
Lovely post Tony. I often think I’d like to dip into Pope again, so thanks for providing that opportunity. I like the couplet Tom selected. A good reminder that we should always be true to our selves when reviewing.
I also like the one on verbosity – something I work hard to avoid though it sometimes results in my being too terse so that people don’t get my point as I presume my point is clear!
And, of course, given my recent post on book reviewing cliches and jargon, the couplets on cliche made me laugh. I wish I’d remembered those words of Pope when I wrote that post.
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Posted by anokatony on June 25, 2010 at 2:22 AM
Hi Whisperinggums,
Real good to hear from you. It’s kind of unusual that the most comprehensive writing about literary criticism is a poem, and it was written over 300 years ago. I do think Pope must have gotten burned in a review, and this poem was his revenge. One thing I like about Pope is that he is deep and easy to follow at the same time. He is also easily quotable which is a good thing for us bloggers.
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Posted by whisperinggums on June 25, 2010 at 5:12 AM
Thanks Tony … I have been flat chat lately with some contracts, a trip away and the funeral of a good friend. My blogging has been a bit quieter but am catching up now. Yes, you are right about Pope – it’s a real skill to be meaningful and accessible at the same time. I think Jane Austen’s wit owes a lot to Pope.
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Posted by Little Interpretations on July 7, 2010 at 11:11 AM
Pope – what a genius. Great post.
I glossed over An Essay on Criticism while studying his poetry at university – and now wish I’d invested myself in it a bit more. I think I’ll need to have a proper stab at it now.
I find it fascinating that the points that you highlight here are still so relevant today!
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Posted by anokatony on July 7, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Hi Little Interpretations,
As I was preparing this post, I ran across a lot of Pope’s other work. I wish I had more time to read it, because I’m sure that there must be other of his works that are as good as “An Essay on Criticism”. It is surprising that the points of this poem hold up so well today.
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