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Poetic Identity and the Anxiety of Print in Pope's Early Career

Poetic Identity and the Anxiety of Print in Pope's Early Career March 2004 31 POETIC IDENTITY AND THE ANXIETY OF PRINT IN POPE’S EARLY CAREER A December 8, 1998, headline from the on-line Times (Lon­ don) caught my eye: “Poet is pardoned over cave theft after 250 years.” Yes, itwas Alexander Pope. The story reads in part: “Leg­ end says that the 18th century writer of The Rape of the Lock em­ ployed musketeers to shoot stalagtites from the roof of the great cavern at Wookey Hole to adorn the grotto at his villa in Twickenham. Now detective work by the British Cave Research Association has cleared him of blame.”1 Apparently, the real culprit was Charles Bruce, Fourth Earl of Elgin, whose descen­ dant later followed his lead by removing the Greek marbles. Pope either bought or was given the stalagtites from Bruce. A couple of this story’s features are significant. Why would Pope want stalagtites? Personal vanity is one reason: Pope’s “grotto,” actually more of a tunnel that led from under his house to a rustic temple in his garden, was his unique showpiece, at once a retreat and a museum. Its careful adornment represents the poet’s self-fashioning. Not only a bitter satirist, he is also exotic, interesting. But http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png English Language Notes Duke University Press

Poetic Identity and the Anxiety of Print in Pope's Early Career

English Language Notes , Volume 41 (3) – Mar 1, 2004

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Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Regents of the University of Colorado
ISSN
0013-8282
eISSN
2573-3575
DOI
10.1215/00138282-41.3.31
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

March 2004 31 POETIC IDENTITY AND THE ANXIETY OF PRINT IN POPE’S EARLY CAREER A December 8, 1998, headline from the on-line Times (Lon­ don) caught my eye: “Poet is pardoned over cave theft after 250 years.” Yes, itwas Alexander Pope. The story reads in part: “Leg­ end says that the 18th century writer of The Rape of the Lock em­ ployed musketeers to shoot stalagtites from the roof of the great cavern at Wookey Hole to adorn the grotto at his villa in Twickenham. Now detective work by the British Cave Research Association has cleared him of blame.”1 Apparently, the real culprit was Charles Bruce, Fourth Earl of Elgin, whose descen­ dant later followed his lead by removing the Greek marbles. Pope either bought or was given the stalagtites from Bruce. A couple of this story’s features are significant. Why would Pope want stalagtites? Personal vanity is one reason: Pope’s “grotto,” actually more of a tunnel that led from under his house to a rustic temple in his garden, was his unique showpiece, at once a retreat and a museum. Its careful adornment represents the poet’s self-fashioning. Not only a bitter satirist, he is also exotic, interesting. But

Journal

English Language NotesDuke University Press

Published: Mar 1, 2004

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