Alexander Pope was born on May 21, 1688, in London, England. Because his parents were Catholic, Pope was not allowed to pursue a formal education after grammar school, but the avid reader utilized his father’s library to educate himself. Pope grew up in the country of Windsor Forest and learned Latin, Greek, French, and Italian through reading poetry and studying with a Catholic priest. Pope also attended Catholic schools occasionally, writing just as voraciously as he read. He contracted tuberculosis as a child, forcing him to wear a back brace to straighten his spine and causing him to reach full height at only four and a half feet.

At twenty-one, he moved back to London and published a collection of poetry, Pastorals (1709), followed by Essay on Criticism (1711). The first edition of The Rape of the Lock was published the next year, … [Pope continued with his satire in both verse and prose, publishing essays and poetry] …comprised of only two cantos. Two years later, in 1714, it appeared again with three additional cantos, a glaring satire of contemporary society. He continued to write poetry and also undertook writing a translation of Homer’s works The Illiad and The Odyssey. The financial success of the publications allowed Pope to move himself and his recently widowed mother to Twickenham, away from ridicule sparked by their Catholic faith. In the country, Pope was briefly associated with his neighbor, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, but eventually the two parted ways less than amiably. Pope then engaged in a long-term relationship with Martha Blount.

In addition to writing poetry and essays, Pope edited several collections for other poets as well as published a collection of Shakespeare with his own notes and explanations that were not well received. He responded with The Dunciad (1728), a direct and malicious attack on his critics, exposing contempt for negative reviews for which he was infamous. Fifteen years later, Pope published a complete four-volume edition of The Dunciad (1743) with new material, the last book he would print in his lifetime. Through the 1730s, Pope continued with his satire in both verse and prose, publishing essays and poetry. A newfound interest in philosophy prompted the drafting of An Essay on Man (1733-34), in which he extensively examined the human condition. Imitations of Horace, a collection of poems, appeared in 1738, just a few years before his death. Pope died on May 30, 1744, with Martha Blount by his side. He left most of his possessions to her, and was buried in Twickenham Church of St. Mary the Virgin.