Essay On Man And Essay On Criticism

Despite its somewhat dry title, this text is not a musty prose dissection of literary criticism. Instead, the piece takes the shape of a long poem in which Pope, at the very peak of his powers, takes merciless aim at many of the best-known writers of his day. The epitome of the subtle but lethal wit Alexander Pope has come to be celebrated for, "An Essay on Criticism" is a fun and enlightening read for Brit-lit fans.

This groundbreaking new source of international scope defines the essay as nonfictional prose texts of between one and 50 pages in length. The more than 500 entries by 275 contributors include entries on nationalities, various categories of essays such as generic (such as sermons, aphorisms), individual major works, notable writers, and periodicals that created a market for essays, and particularly famous or significant essays. The preface details the historical development of the essay, and the alphabetically arranged entries usually include biographical sketch, nationality, era, selected writings list, additional readings, and anthologies