The Rape of the Lock

By Aubrey Beardsley and Alexander Pope

Only rarely in publishing history has the ideal edition of a literary work been created, where text, typography, and illustrations complement one another perfectly. Among the few examples are the Kelmscott Chaucer, Baskerville's Milton, and Beardsley's Salome. Another such book is the 1896 edition of Pope's The Rape of the Lock, illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley.
Beardsley's elaborate drawings for The Rape of the Lock were created during the last phase of his brief career. This nearly Romantic period, characterized by rich, brilliantly imagined decoration and ornamentation and by high textual contrasts, was perfectly suited to the blend of mock-heroic, satire, and delicate fancy of Pope's poems. As Beardsley's biographer R. A. Walker wrote, "These drawings show a verve, a wit and appreciation of the poem than can scarcely be matched in English literature." Using his unique line and "black blot" technique, Beardsley created a masterpiece of design and mood.
This Dover edition reproduces the first edition: the complete text of the five-canto poem, notes, seven full-page drawings, two half-page drawings, and the original cover design by Beardsley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Apr 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486147550

Book preview

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Reviews for The Rape of the Lock

[jorgearanda_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unique in its masterful and epic treatment of a kinky, bizarre haircut.

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

an interesting and complex read

[mrn945_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My version of the poem had a great introduction which explained what inspired the poem, which was a huge bonus for me! Alexander Pope's poem however was easy enough for me to understand, which I greatly appreciate. I particularly loved the description of the women being dressed at the end of the first canto. There was something so profound in the statement that the women take praise for looking good when it isn't them that look good - it was those that dressed them. Granted, I suspect that most women don't have someone dressing them these days; however, today women are so covered in makeup, and with the prevalence of plastic surgery and botox, I'm not sure that we really are making ourselves look good anymore, it's something else.Regardless, the poem was actually quite wonderful. Funny, quirky, and clever - overall I loved it! It amused me how he instilled this sense of impending doom and horror into a comedic poem about a woman's hair being cut off as a prank at a party. Knowing the back-story was tremendously helpful in this regard, it I had not known that it was written in response to a prank played at a party, I would have greatly misunderstood the poem.