Alexander Pope’s heroi-comical, mock-epic poem, The Rape of the Lock, continues to sparkle after three hundred years as a peerless gem in the canon of English literature. In celebration of its tercentenary, this collection brings together ten eminent scholars with new perspectives on the poem. Their approaches reflect the vast range of interpretation of Pope’s text, from discussions of religion, gender, and eighteenth-century biological science to an interview with Sophie Gee about her novelization of the poem in The Scandal of the Season. These stimulating analyses will be essential reading for students and teachers of The Rape of the Lock and a valuable resource for investigating eighteenth-century culture.

Donald W. Nichol is a professor in the Department of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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‘Donald W. Nichol’s edition of collected essays on Alexander Pope’s brilliant satire, The Rape of the Lock, is a timely and intelligent celebration of a literary masterpiece…. This collection brings new and original interpretations to a classic work of eighteenth-century literature.’

SHARP News August 21, 2016

‘The essays collected here offer significant re-readings of Pope’s masterful Rape of the Lock and cumulatively these high quality pieces represent a fresh engagement with a poem that one might have thought sufficiently well studied.’

Modern Philology vol 115:02:2017

‘The editor’s preface provides a valuable account of the poem’s somewhat complicated publication history, which is also treated thoughtfully and with illuminating effect by contributors.’

Studies in English Literature vol 56:03:2016