An Essay on Man

by Alexander Pope

Overview

Originally published in 1913 as part of the Pitt Press Series, this book contains the text of Alexander Pope's poetic 'epistles' on the nature of man, originally written between 1733 and 1734. Thompson prefaces the poems with a synopsis of each, as well as a history of their creation. Detailed notes follow at the end of the text. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the work of Alexander Pope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781981633401
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	12/13/2017
Pages:	116
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.24(d)

About the Author

Tom Jones teaches English at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author of Pope and Berkeley: The Language of Poetry and Philosophy.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Analysis of the poem; An Essay on Man; Notes.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is a definitive, reader-friendly edition of a poem that ought to be circulated as widely as possible. The textual commentary is a model of its kind—lucid, full, rich in insight, and especially good at tracking down and elucidating the allusions in which the poem abounds. The introduction is also an exemplary piece of literary scholarship."—Brian Young, Christ Church College, University of Oxford

"Tom Jones's edition of An Essay on Man is an impressive achievement. His introduction and notes are deeply learned and useful. They synthesize much of what we know about the poem's composition, publication, sources, analogues, and influence, but also present fresh, original insights into its meanings and importance as a document of eighteenth-century intellectual history. The sophistication with which Jones treats the philosophical contexts of the poem is exceptional."—James Noggle, Wellesley College

"This is a very good edition. The lively and wide-ranging introduction is attentive to both the original context and continuing relevance of Pope's poem."—David Womersley, St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford

Editorial Reviews

"The book is exemplary in its scholarship. [Jones] has unearthed a multiplicity of references and illuminates the antecedents of Pope's ideas with authority. This is an edition which should be recommended to every student and teacher of the poem…. There is no sensible criticism that could be levelled at his work in this volume."

Penniless Press

"Jones's edition makes the energetically paradoxical Essay on Man accessible…. The introduction is extensive and excellent."—-Robert Phiddian, Australian Book Review

From the Publisher

05/15/2016
Pope's poem An Essay on Man—formulated to "vindicate the ways of God to man"—was one of the most widely disseminated and well-known publications of the 18th century, notably impacting Enlightenment writers Voltaire, David Hume, Adam Smith, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Jones (English, Univ. of St. Andrews, UK; Poetic Language) provides a reliable modern version. His copy text is that identified by Pope scholar Maynard Mack as the 1743b edition. Jones's substantial editorial apparatus includes a comprehensive introductory essay (of over 100 pages) summarizing the poem and situating it in literary, historical, and philosophical context. Substantive footnotes trace the poet's "possible analogues, sources, and parallels," and a catalog of "Pope's Knowledge of Authors Cited" is included. In the poem's opening remarks, Pope explains how writing in verse rather than prose permitted him to present his "principles, maxims, or precepts" memorably and with fewer words. He was right. VERDICT Highly recommended to academic libraries.—Mark Spencer, Brock Univ., St. Catharines, Ont.

Library Journal