Try free for 30 days

Preview
  • The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems

  • By: Alexander Pope
  • Narrated by: Emilia Fox
  • Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
  • 2.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems

By: Alexander Pope
Narrated by: Emilia Fox
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $18.99

Buy Now for $18.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

'The Rape of the Lock' was one of Alexander Pope's most popular poems. It was a satirical attempt to reconcile the real -ife warring of two Catholic families whose feud had started with the supposed nicking of a lock of hair from the undeniably beautiful head of Arabella Fermor by her admirer, Lord Petre.

The mock-heroic tenor of the poem was supposed to defuse the situation, but, rather like most of Pope's poetry, it served to fan the flames of the feelings of those involved and to bring most of the country in on the story to comment.

It is a beautiful bit of pseudo-classical verse, in keeping with Pope's thorough knowledge and love of the classical scholars such as Homer, whose Iliad he would go on to translate to his immense financial profit. But it is also a seriously witty piece of satire, and it is still funny.

The truth of the fact that a small wrong can be writ huge in an affair of the heart is as true today as it was in the highly strung years of the early part of the 18th century. The poems included in this collection are mostly those of the young Pope. The 'Ode to Solitude' indeed is claimed to have been written by Pope when he was 12. But they are not the mere scribblings of a child. Pope was remarkably precocious, and these poems are the products of a highly trained mind, with a blissfully vicious turn of phrase. These are the writings of an extraordinary talent before he got too embroiled in the fury of his feelings about the current state of English society and its academics.

Public Domain (P)2007 Silksoundbooks Limited

What listeners say about The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 0 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 0 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.