All Rights Reserved. What the non-subscribing public wanted was a financially accessible book, and Lintot later found a bigger market in the middle class who could afford the cheaper copies. Alexander Pope. The publication of "The Rape of the Lock" marked the conclusion of Popes literary apprenticeship, and he embarked on his own projects. Popes eighteenth century London was a bustling commingling of classes. John Feather, The British Book Market 16001800, in, Ibid., 6371. Line 929. I dreamed often of being engaged in a long journey, and that I should never get to the end of it. Praise from a friend, or censure from a foe. The first volume of Popes Iliad was published in 1715, only five years after the implementation of the first British Copyright Act of 1710. Additionally, the Act promoted a partnership between the author, publisher, and printer in the midst of an expanding book trade. Sleep and Death, two twins of winged race. Pope was able to use the response to his Iliad subscriptions to gauge his career, and to place himself somewhere within the social stratum of London and its provinces. Instead, Pope spent countless hours of his own labor canvassing and finding readers among his friends. http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/alexander-pope. Chapter Thirteen Homer, Venice, and Byzantium: Aldus Manutius First Edition of the Iliad, 18. 'Tis true, 'tis certain; man though dead retains. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. Even the poor were reading poetry, and for this reason some publications were dispersed in the street to cater to the demand. These potential customers had more leisure time and also had the desire to readand read classics. Chapter Fifteen The Language Question: Cultural Politics of the Medici Dynasty, 20. Without a sign his sword the brave man draws. [25] Even more significant is the apparent indication that Lintot was responding to the needs of the book trade dictated by his losses from the Iliad. The eight percent of Iliad sales comprised of women increased to fifteen percent for the Odyssey. [21] The result was essentially a collective patronage. Pope and the Early Eighteenth-Century Book Trade. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007. By 1716, it was the largest city in Europe, and eleven percent of Englands population resided there. Over this period, English poets have written some of the most enduring poems in Western culture, and the language and its poetry have spread around the globe. Essays on Pope. The reasons for this shift lie in the social and economic fabric of London, and both the Iliads success and failure is as much an example of collective patronage as a sign of the rise of the man of letters.[26]. This made so strong an impression upon me, that I sometimes dream of it still; of being engaged in that translation, of having got about half way through it, and being embarrassed, and under dread of never completing it. Chapter EightParatext as Metatext and Metafiction: Contextualizing Honest Satire in Thomas Bridges A Burlesque Translation of Homer, 12. [22] However, there were several discrepancies discovered when copies were delivered. Felicity Rosslyn notes that Pope emulated some of these more common turns of phrase that can be found in works such as Drydens translation of the Aeneid. While I underline quotes and take notes in the margins of books I read, I am adding my own words directly into the text of a book. Dispel this cloud, the light of Heaven restore; The mildest manners, and the gentlest heart. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Chapter FourLiterary London: Pope's Iliad and the Eighteenth-Century Book Trade, 7. Compare: "As of the green leaves on a thick tree, some fall, and some grow". [49] Ultimately, at the beginning of his journey with the first volume of the Iliad, Popes lack of knowledge of Londons literary world hampered his success. Chiefs who no more in bloody fights engage. Base wealth preferring to eternal praise. Alexander Pope: A Bibliography. This plan seemed to be a promising one given Popes long list of subscribers. * Both novels are considered epic poems Now a famous poet, Pope began work on several projects. Chapter Seventeen Too Much of a Modern Beau: Macphersons Iliad and the Nationalist Epic. Thick as autumnal leaves or driving sand. When I fell into the method of translating 30 or 40 verses before I got up, and piddled with it the rest of the morning, it went on easily enough; and when I was thoroughly got into the way of it, I did the rest with pleasure. The rest were printed in folio and sold on the trade market at a lower price. [3] At the time the work was published, and despite wide consideration that it was not only a literary masterpiece but also Popes greatest achievement,[4] the market reception was complex and mixedan important reminder that a long history of success and reverence can conceal the struggles of initial public reception. I wholeheartedly agree that the Fagles translation is the best one out there. The failure of the business model allowed Pope and Lintot to understand their market and gain a greater understanding of the book trade and literary climate of London, resulting in a more profitable sale of the later Odyssey translation. Two friends, two bodies with one soul inspir'd. Compare: "His hair just grizzled, As in a green old age", Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood,. Thomas argues that Popes success in pleasing his female Iliad readers may have led to a widening of his client base through word of mouth. [47] Had Pope better understood Londons readership and literary climate, he could have established a more confident and efficient plan that fulfilled the expectations of his initial contract with Lintot. The first in banquets, but the last in fight. [31] Lower paid workers would not be buying books to fill their librarynot even duodecimoswhen they were struggling to put food on the table. As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night. Pope had a partnership with Lintot and his printer, Bowyer, and agreed to print 660 copies of the Iliad, 200 on writing royal paper for subscribers and the rest on cheaper printing royal paper for regular distribution in order to save money. Who dares think one thing, and another tell, Line 412. The day shall come, that great avenging day. After Pope did not deliver on a full and reliable list, records and correspondence show that Volume I of the Iliad also undersold in the trade market. Bernard Knox, Introduction to Robert Fagles' The Iliad (1991). [37] Translations of classical literature and poetry were of interest to eighteenth-century English women because reading provided a means to both pass the time and to enjoy vicariously the experience denied to [them] by seclusion.[38] It is possible that if Pope had understood the middle class in the same way he understood his women patrons as readers, he might have been much more successful in selling his volumes. For example, Claudia Thomas notes an important inclusion in Popes preface: If my author had the wits of After Ages for his Defenders, his Translation has had the Beauties of the Present for his Advocates.[36], Acknowledging his female readers openly, as compared to Dryden who made no mention of women and instead focused entirely on the male reader in his translation of Virgils Aeneid, is significant. In brief, to write a history, we must know more than mere facts. [41] She argues that elements of Popes language had been used with increasing sophistication through the seventeenth century to translate the Greek and Roman classics,[42] and points to examples of Popes reference to big and little Ajax as thunderbolts of war, which references Drydens Aeneid, and the phrase mountains of the slain which can be traced through French and English poetry to the Latin epic. Chapter One First Impressions: the editio princeps of 1489, 4. Regardless of Popes painstaking translation and innovative publishing solutions, and even though this particular piece of literature was well received in eighteenth-century London, Volume I of the Iliad missed the mark in the book trade and undersold. In the end, Pope was not clear enough with Lintot about the sales. Not two strong men the enormous weight could raise,. [39], Increased exposure to classical texts within the elite and middle classes not only created a market for Popes Iliad, but also one that was specifically open to his choice of heroic couplets. And unextinguish'd laughter shakes the skies. Line 181. Despite Samuel Johnson's ravish praise, the Pope translation (the one used in these editions) is probably among the least used or read these days. Compare: "Unwept, unhonoured, and unsung", Grief tears his heart, and drives him to and fro. Ibid., 53; Foxon believes Bowers ledger is the most reliable. Chapter Nine Illustrating the Classics and the Self: John Ogilby and his Self-Fashioning Portraits, 13. Despite the Iliads innovative design and long list of wealthy patrons, Lintot did not see the profits he was expecting. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press, 1985. The first set of books printed in quarto, which was unusual at the time for a luxury volume, were smaller and cheaper to produce. Growth of the middle class stemmed from the availability of wider varieties of professions that allowed for scholars of all kinds to emergeas school teachers, tutors, authors, poets. [29] Publications such as Popes Iliad that were translated into the vernacular and circulated among the public were making classical literature available to citizens who did not read Latin or Greek. Persuasive speech, and more persuasive sighs. A poetical wonder a performance which no age or nation can pretend to equal. [12] Popes introduction of engravings as illustrations also resulted in the increased popularity of pictorial headpieces that changed the layout and look of the page. For example, some subscribers received too many or too few, or copies were delivered to those who were in default on their payments, or to people who were never on the list. The same line occurs in Pope's translation of the. Rousseau, George Sebastian. Daily Life in 18th-Century London. [35] While most eighteenth-century English translations catered to male readers, Pope went out of his way to please his women. [43] Importantly, Popes eighteenth-century erudite reader may have picked up on this, even as subtly as to find something familiar about his words. Patronage of authors was not as widely popular during Popes time. Words sweet as honey from his lips distill'd. [2] Popes utilization of engravings was also a new and economic solution for illustration, and enabled Lintot to embellish the pages of the subscription volumes at low cost. The Pope translation is also great, if you dont mind the older style of language. However, Foxon refutes Johnsons theory, arguing that the London book trade was so centralized that a Dutch book would have been of little importance, and ultimately attributes the low sales to Lintots own overestimation in his agreement with Pope. This, this is misery! Rosslyn also argues that the learned would have noted any misrepresentation, impolite phrases, or incongruous references that strayed from the classical standards influenced by works such as the Aeneid. With all its beauteous honours on its head. * The Odyssey is defined as a journey. Pope had a partnership with Lintot and his printer, Bowyer, and agreed to print 660 copies of the Iliad, 200 on writing royal paper for subscribers and the rest on cheaper printing royal paper for regular distribution in order to save money. It is certainly the noblest version of poetry which the world has ever seen; and its publication must therefore be considered as one of the great events in the annals of learning. The lack of success was largely due to a misunderstanding of Londons newfound literacy and appreciation for classical texts, and his low sales also revealed to Lintot how the book fit into the literary culture of London and its provinces. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1994. He commenced writing a translation of Homers The Iliad (1720), which took him six years to complete. It sat so heavily on my mind at first, that I often used to dream of it; and do so sometimes still. Popes Iliad inserted itself into the literary fabric of London and its provinces in multiple ways: through Popes connections with the wealthy, who had an imprint on the text through their scholarly feedback and participation in the subscription; through his less wealthy readers who later purchased cheaper, unembellished quarto editions; and also through women and their increased literacy. What resulted was a smaller page with an unusually large font. The beautifully crafted volumes were met with mixed reviews by the public; Popes heroic couplet translation was frowned upon for its difficulty and for straying from Homers original prose, and lauded for its beauty and homage to the classical text. [] The Iliad took me up six years, and during that time, and particularly the first part of it, I was often under great pain and apprehensions. which in modern days / No two of earth's degenerate sons could raise". [Pope's] translation of the Iliad is the finest ever made. Pope's first translation. Patroclus, lov'd of all my martial train, Accept these grateful tears! [9] Printing his subscription books in quarto marked one of the most influential changes to book production. To stretch the Iliad to six volumes, Pope increased the size of the typeface. Chapter Twelve Henri Estiennes Concepts of History and Poetry, IV. [27] Aristocrats in the street rubbed shoulders with the fops, gamblers, whores, mendicants, pickpockets, vendors, and spectators.[28] The cultural and vocational topography was changing, and Londons industry stimulated a market that required more skilled and educated workers. [17] It was through these connections that he began to establish his list,[18] which had no fewer than seventeen dukes, three marquises, forty-nine earls, seven duchesses, eight countesses, as well as members of the army and clergy, writers, artists, actors, and musicians.[19]. Oxford: Clarendon, 1991. Note: The same line, with "soul" for "heart", occurs in Pope's translation of the. The result was the publication of The Rape of the Lock, in May 1712. [Pope's] translation of the Iliad will remain a lasting monument to his honour, as the most elegant and highly finished translation, that, perhaps, ever was given of any poetical work. Consistency is no less pertinacious and exacting in its demands. Line 201. Ibid., xii. Brant, Clare, and Susan E. Whyman. [5] This act both protected the author from piracy and granted sole publishing power for an initial fourteen years, with an additional fourteen years of protection afterward if the author was still living. Thomas, Claudia N. Alexander Pope and His Eighteenth-Century Women Readers. Pope, Alexander, trans. Academy of American Poets, Alexander Pope,http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/alexander-pope. Olsen, Kirsten. Pope did not believe that the recognizable voice of an individual poet could be used to translate an epic,[40] and what resulted was a synthesis of his own prose and common phrases and language popular to English translations of classical literature. The mildest manners with the bravest mind. It was, however, the first time I realized the strangeness of being able to connect with words from an author so disparate from me in time and place who was writing about a setting completely disconnected from my own experiences. Samuel Johnson, "Life of Pope" (1781). What terrible moments does one feel after one has engaged for a large work! Ye gods, what dastards would our host command? While thinking about it, I connected this couplet to a larger idea I had been circling around for a while about how works of fiction require a back and forth between a reader and text. I have read both carefully so far, and written remarks as I went along, and I think I can prove that, where Pope has omitted one beauty, he has added or improved four. Academy of American Poets. For a more detailed analysis of Popes social relationships, see Rogers chapter Pope and the Social Scene. The rest were vulgar deaths, unknown to fame. Londons literate population consumed massive quantities of texts during Popes time, from his poetry to newspapers and scandal sheets. Griffith, Reginald Harvey. Thou dog in forehead, but in heart a deer! Line 484. Chief annoyance is his decision to use Roman-Latin names, so Athena becomes Minerva, Zeus is Jupiter, etc., presumably because the Latin names were more familiar to educated readers in his time. London: G. Bell & Sons, 1972. Although Pope cannot respond to everything in the Iliadhe sophisticates where he should be plain and does not fully catch its tragic accentthe distinguishing feature of his translation is the way he meets Homers power, the rage of being that drives through the poem, with an almost comparable power of his own. Compare: "A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies". [13] The antiquarian George Vertue (d. 1756) engraved the bust of Homer that adorns the frontispiece in the first volume. A similar line occurs in Book V, line 371: "Not two strong men the enormous weight could raise,/ Such men as live in these degenerate days". London: Printed by W. Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott between the Temple-Gates, 171520. the last, the worst. In essence, it was an effort to define his audience.[48] Although Pope attained financial stability and an entirely new social status from subscription and market sales, his process for doing so lacked foresight and his publisher did not fare as well. By 1700, the national literacy rate in England was fortyfive percent, and it became common to find a working class citizen who was knowledgeable in classical literature, including Homer. ~ during the Bronze age. Line 371. Chapter Eleven In Chapmans Forge: Mistranslation as Ekphrastic Resistance, 15. Among the books I read was Alexander Popes translation of the Iliad, and after a particularly cold a miserable bike ride in the winter, I came across this couplet: To labour is the lot of man below; / And when Jove gave us life, he gave us woe. [24] Thomas Johnson postulated that Pope undersold because cheaper, pirated duodecimo copies emerged from Holland shortly after his publication. In honing his ability to translate a classical epic using his own style, and in assuming control over the aesthetics of his volumes, Pope entered the book trade with a completely new product. Chapter Fourteen Alfonso, Valla, & Homer: Poetry and Politics in Renaissance Naples, 19. Pope worked hard to integrate himself into the social scene of Londons wealthy. Readers would have laughed the translation into oblivion, hence Popes care in his word and phrase choices and strategic uses of subtlety. [45] Thus, Popes translation fit within a specific expectation of his more learned readers in its imitation of current poetic classical masterpieces.[46]. The Iliad of Homer. His magnum opus was his translation of Homers Iliad, which took nearly six years to complete. The Iliads difficulty in the initial market is as important to its history as the reputation and admiration that followed; an understanding of its reception, and of Pope and Lintots missteps in its dissemination, point toward a more complete historical picture of Pope and his Iliad. Compare: "He serves his party best who serves the country best". Section Four: Nationalism and National Identity, 17. A similar line occurs in Book XX, line 337: "A mass enormous! [Pope] cultivated our language with so much diligence and art, that he has left in his. Popes Iliad: A Selection with Commentary. Like leaves on trees the race of man is found. [20] Second, building the list was a harrowing experience for Pope, both because of its demands on his time and the pressures of compiling such a comprehensive directory. He ultimately had to resort to utilizing his friends and mentors to sell subscriptions on his behalf, evidence for which is in his epistles. [10] Pope moved away from the traditional folio format that was popular for major works, which made for a more physically manageable book. It can mean poetry written in England, or poetry written in the English language.