Alexander Pope and Women

Alexander Pope may have been the adversary of female behavior the extent of this has long been in question. The writer’s satirical style towards the women of his era is evidence of his opinions. However, there are noticeable facts that generate a swaying effect on Pope’s views and the meaning of The Rape of the Lock. These details consist of the author’s personal life and symbolism contained in his mock epic poem, including the voices of Bella and Clarissa, which is an indication that he may not have had the hardened heart towards women that everyone assumed he had. While any evaluation on Alexander Pope’s personal opinion will conclude with a questioning of who he truly was behind his literary persona, a thorough research provides solid evidence on his personal beliefs towards the women of the Eighteenth Century. Through a comprehensive study on the behavior of women in the Eighteenth Century, Pope’s characters in The Rape of the Lock, and his personal background, the writer’s ability to critically tear down a female’s role in society will be clarified and condoned, with the idea that his attitude was merely an expectancy he had of women that they never implemented.

In fulfilling this opinion of Alexander Pope, research is studied to define the women of his time. Women of the Eighteenth Century had standards to live by that developed an environment of constraint and manipulation. The severity of a woman’s behavior around the Eighteenth Century is expressed in many conduct manuals of this era; the purpose of a manual is to teach a woman how to follow methods in order to be the desire of a man (Jones 14). The frivolous qualities that females seemed to exude so easily were learned through lessons such as the conduct manuals but a...

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