“THE RAPE OF THE LOCK”---MOCK-EPIC POEM:

The epic is a narrative poem of supposed divine inspiration treating of a subject ofgreat and momentous importance for mankind, the characters of the story arepartly human and partly divine, and the language and style in which the incidentsare related are full of elevation and dignity.If a long narrative poem should satisfy all the tests of epic poetry, but if the subjectwhich is celebrated be of a trivial nature, like the cutting off a lock of a woman’shair, which is the story that is related in Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”, then such apoem is called a mock-epic. A mock-epic poem is supposed to be the inspiration of aMuse and the language is stilted and grandiose, but the subject is of very frivolousand of commonplace nature.Mock-epic or mock-heroic or heroi-comical terms are applied to literary works inwhich the epic or heroic tradition is ridiculed.

Characteristics of “The Rape of the Lock” as a mock-epic poem:

1. Parody:Hazlitt has called the poem ‘the perfection of the mock-epic’. It belongs to theliterary type, called burlesque or parody., on a large scale. In it, not a single poem,but the whole type or style of literature is parodied; the language and thought,proper to a serious theme are reproduced in describing something ridiculous ortrivial. The eighteenth Century with its passion for the ancients, was familiar withthe whole epic tradition and conventions. It was rich, particularly, in bad epicsitself. Pope makes the framework of his poem a parody of the epic tradition. Themost crucial parallel to epic is the scene which occurs just before the cutting of thelock, when Ariel discovers the secret longing of the beautiful Belinda. He finds anearthly lover lurking in Belinda’s heart:“Sudden he viewd, in spite of all her art,An earthly lover lurking at her heart.Amazed to fate, and with sigh retired.”The situation is apparently an echo of the moment in “paradise Lost” when, afterthe fall of Adam and Eve, the angle retire, to heavenly abode feeling sorry for them.Pope called “The Rape of the lock” a heroi-comical poem. It belongs to the class ofliterature called “burlesque”. A burlesque is a parody on a large scale, in which nota single poem but a whole type of style of literature is parodied, the language andthought proper to a serious theme being reproduced in setting forth somethingridiculous or trivial.The burlesque is partly a matter of treatment and partly a matter of language. Bytreating an insignificant subject in the manner of an epic the poem parodies thatfrom poetry. Instead of grand passions and great fights between heroes in which theimmortals take part, we have as the theme of “The Rape of the lock” a pettyamorous quarrel assisted by the spirits of the air. The epic portrays an age roundthe personality of a god or semi god, and its characters are heroes. “The rape of thelock”, on the other hand, gives us a picture of fashionable society. The central figurein that picture is a pretty society girl, and the other characters are a rash youth, afoolish dandy and few frivolous women. Instead of deep and genius passions asfound in ancient epics, we come across a succession of mock passions in “The Rapeof the lock”.2. The Title:The mock-heroic character of the poem is perceived in the very title. Rape is aserious moral offence which means the violation of a woman’s chastity by force. Italso refers to the seizure of a lady by some ruffians in grossly inhuman manner. Inany case, rape is a grave crime, affecting the social decency of a human being. Popehas used this term in an amusing manner. The possession of the hair of Belinda by