Today I collected the notes from the 18th century. We introduced the genre--the mock-epic. (If you were absent, be sure to get the notes from a friend). We discussed a new author, Alexander Pope, see page 400. We took notes on page 401 and then we read and made notes on the mock-epic poem, The Rape of the Lock. For each canto (section/chapter) of the epic create the following:
1. a summary of what happens
2. examples of satire
3. examples of mock-epic style or content
4. Write down a good quotation which summarizes the tone of the section.
Be prepared to share your answers next day in class.
You may want to use Spark Notes for this one in order to make sure you know what is happening as the language and the mock-epic style inflate the trivial in order to satirize society's obsession with triviality: gossip, hairstyles, fashion, courtship.
Look for the use of allusion and juxtaposition throughout the piece.
|Read the footnotes. Know what a sylph does and who their leader is.
