Prof. Joe's Guide to Reading The Rape of the Lock Pope's "Mock Epic  The Rape of the Lock is most commonly described as a "mock epic.  It isn't really an epic poem, but it makes use of all the conventions and techniques of epic poetry, so it reads and sounds like an epic poem. The style is noble and lofty. Heroes are elaborately described. A great cause is undertaken. Terrible battles are fought. Supernatural forces intervene. The hero triumphs and lives forever in the memory of the people. The joke is that despite the epic style and form, the subject matter is silly and trivial. The "hero  of the epic is a wealthy young woman whose chief concerns in life appear to be getting dressed and going to parties. The calamity at the heart of the poem occurs when someone cuts off a lock of her hair. The "terrible battles  include a game of cards and an argument among the guests at a tea party. The "supernatural forces  that seem to steer the action are not gods but little fairy spirits who flit about, alternately helping the heroes and stirring up trouble for them. The "great cause  for which everyone labors mightily is the return of the lost lock of hair. Like all epics, the poem idealizes its subjects “ in this case, the "idle rich  of 17th century England. And, like all epics, it raises questions about the very same ideals it celebrates. On the one hand, Pope lavishes his subjects with such elaborate praise and admiration that you cannot honestly call the poem a satire. He isn't making fun of these people in order to tear them down; he clearly admires these people and their world. On the other hand, Pope is obviously aware that their lives and affairs aren't really the stuff of great epics, and by making their story into an epic he obviously means to suggest that these people aren't as grand and noble as they believe themselves to be. Like Beowulf and Sir Gawain, the hero of the poem embodies the virtues of a culture and a society; but like those two epics, the poem shows us the limitations and flaws of the very society it celebrates. There is one other significant difference between The Rape of the Lock and other epics: the hero of the Rape of the Lock is a woman. In one sense, placing a woman at the center of the poem and making her into an epic hero is a way of acknowledging the central role of women in Pope's society. Everything about the poem revolves around this woman, who is always the subject of Pope's greatest praise and admiration. At the same time, it's just another "mock epic  technique. Can she truly be considered a hero if the action of the poem is so silly and trivial? Just as Pope seems to both praise and mock the society he describes, so too does he seem both to praise and mock the idea of female power. The story of the poem Belinda, a lovely young woman of noble status, arises at noon, dresses, and embarks on a little boat from her country estate up the Thames River to the palace at Hampton Court, where she is to attend an afternoon tea party. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, the Baron “ a wealthy but rash young playboy, and one of her many suitors -- has concocted a scheme to snip off the two curls of hair that fall at the back of Belinda's lovely neck. Belinda arrives at the party, where she mingles with the assembled guests and flirts with the Baron. After playing a game of cards, they sit down to tea (actually coffee). The Baron, having procured a tiny pair of scissors from one of the ladies in attendance, succeeds in snipping off one of Belinda's curls, causing a terrible row. The Baron exults in his victory, while Belinda retires in anguish, along with a friend who urges her to seek revenge. Others at the party make accusatory speeches, but no one pays them any mind. Finally, Belinda, urged on by her friend, confronts the Baron and demands the return of her hair. He relents, but the hair cannot be found! Where can it be? It has miraculously flown up to the heavens, transformed into a star, where it shall forever more remind who see it of the virtuous Belinda and her heroic victory. Of course it's a stupid story! That's the whole point! The humor of the poem is in the juxtaposition of serious, high-blown, epic style verse with trivial, silly, inconsequential affairs. It is also a pretty good satire of upper-class society. What's All This about Sylphs and Gnomes? The most complicated part of the poem is the inclusion of an elaborate parallel universe inhabited by spirits, little fairy-like creatures who direct and manage and often intercede in the course of human events. The chief fairies or sprites in the poem are the Sylphs, who attend all the fair young ladies of society and guide and protect them and keep them chaste. The lovely heroine of the poem, Belinda, is attended by several hundred Sylphs led by a "head sylph  called Ariel. There are other types of spirits mentioned in the poem, in p