An Essay on Man (Illustrated‪)‬

Pope was a master of the heroic couplet. From early childhood he suffered numerous health problems, including Pott's disease (a form of tuberculosis affecting the spine) which deformed his body and stunted his growth. The Rape of the Lock (two-canto version, The Rape of the Locke, 1712; revised version in five cantos, 1714) is perhaps Pope's most popular poem. It is a mock-heroic epic, written to make fun of a high society quarrel between Arabella Fermor (the "Belinda" of the poem) and Lord Petre, who had snipped a lock of hair from her head without her permission. Among his other works are: An Essay on Criticism (1711); Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady (1717); and Essay on Man (1734).