The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope has been freshly brought out under the series Orient BlackSwan Annotated Study Texts which is a series designed to bring classic English texts closer to students so that they are able to enjoy and understand the literary beauty and value of these excellent works. The introductions, commentaries and notes are aimed to provide guidance to the student to perceive the complete literary and cultural matrix of the work as well as to draw on the stylistic and technical mastery of the writers. Frequently, the student finds himself/herself confronted with not only the intricacies of the text under study but also the necessity to grapple with it contextually in terms of genre, literary and historical background and critical commentary. These editions provide the necessary background and analysis, including a list of questions and topics for discussion in class as well as a select bibliography.

C T Thomas retired as Professor and Head, Department of English, Calicut University, Kerala.

A Note on the Text
Alexander Pope Chronology
A Note on the Poem
A Note on Abbreviations
Introduction: Alexander Pope: Life and Writings
Augustan Satire
Critical Reception of the Poem
The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-epic
Epic Conventions in The Rape of the Lock
The Event
The Source
The Plot
Characters in the Poem
The Verse Form in The Rape of the Lock
Figures of Speech
Themes in the Poem            
The Dedicatory Letter
The Rape of the Lock
Commentary
Summary of the Poem
Questions for Recapitulation
Critical Essays: 1. The Love Affair in Pope’s Rape of the Lock: Hugo M Reichard; 2. The Reversal of Gender in The Rape of the Lock: Ralph Cohen
A Select Bibliography
Topics for Discussion