In The Rape of the Lock and Gulliver's Travels, Pope and Swift both place the faults and vices of the Great 18th-century Britain at the thematic forefront of their writings, with a particular emphasis on satire of the upper echelons of the aristocratic class, as well as the attitudes towards sexuality, gender and religion that underpin contemporary society. Through the inclusion of real characters – Swift's account includes references to the corrupt Robert Walpole while Pope's revolves around a factual event – ​​both writers place the "serious" aspects of 18th-century society in the realm of the absurd. Indeed, both writers choose to imitate popular narrative structures - while Swift's use of a mock epic brings classical heroism closer to contemporary triviality, also employing the "heroic couplet" (popular in tales bravura classics such as Dryden's translation of the Aeneid). as a variety of epic narrative device, Swift's decision to emulate a conventional, non-fictional "travelogue" mocks the credulity of her readers, simultaneously attacking the idea of ​​human autonomy and control touted by works such as Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. (as critic Kathleen Williams says, Swift was "hostile to all doctrines of the natural self-sufficiency of man"). By filling their work with recognizable elements of contemporary Britain, both writers can therefore parody and satirize 18th-century society more effectively. In the same way, the two writers develop a clear divergence between their own voice and that of the “narrator”. This is most apparently seen in Swift's work, which, far from representing an author's singular, fixed point of view, utilizes its protagonist's shifts in perspective (notably from admiration of British society to total repulsion) to emphasize the absence of any singular vision. , a compelling moral standard, philosophy or idea that underpins contemporary British society. The same divergence is used by Pope, whose mock-epic narrative voice is entirely captivated by the scale and magnitude of the events she describes, allowing the writer to effectively demonstrate what is, in his eyes, their triviality . However, here differences begin to emerge between the two writers – while Pope's narrative voice, while largely ironic, is at least somewhat sincere in its praise of the trivial, simultaneously mocking the absurd complexity of the routine of Belinda's makeup while celebrating the miraculous physical change it brings about. provokes, Swift's strong belief in "original sin" means that he presents human nature as irremediably flawed. Despite their differences in method, it is clear that both writers present a critical view of 18th-century society, employing and imitating many of its most recognizable elements in order to parody and satirize it more effectively.Say No to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Both writers play on conventional narrative structure, form, and voice to explore and satirize various elements of 18th-century society. For example, Pope's use of epic simulation to describe Belinda's makeup routine juxtaposes the "serious" and the trivial, allowing him to effectively satirize human vanity: "Countless treasures open in same time, and here the various off'rings of the world". appear'. Here, Pope's use of the heroic couplet – a rhyming couplet written in iambic pentameter – reflects the form used in a heavier classical work, contrasting with the everyday subject: the application of makeup. This contrast would have been all the more obvious to a contemporary audience, the majority of whom would have been familiar with John Dryden's prolific use of the heroic couplet in translations of epics such as Virgil's Aeneid and Homer, creating a highly satirical image of an almost religious level of devotion being applied to a daily act of self-care and, in doing so, strongly emphasizing not only Belinda's personal vanity, but also the level of importance that British society placed on something as insignificant as outward appearance. This contrast is reinforced by the connotations of religious ritualism in "Off'rings", as well as the materialist "Treasures". Using such hyperbole to describe a makeup box is perhaps a satire on the limited knowledge and experience of the wealthy and aristocratic classes – their "treasures" are limited to makeup and jewelry, a point that Pope further supports with the use of the term expansive. connotations of "World", implying that Belinda's "world" extends little beyond the confines of her makeup box, let alone her social class. In Swift's novel, the limited perspective of the aristocratic class is also satirized, with the vast contrast between the Lilliputian physical size and the social grandeur of the emperor humorously demonstrating the superficiality of the aristocratic world: "terror of the universe, whose domains extend over five thousand blustrugs (about twelve miles in circumference).” Here, in the emperor's description of himself, the incessant use of connotations of grandeur in "universe", "dominion", "expanse" and "thousand", particularly with the frequent use of vowels long here, adds a strong tone of majesty. and scale, emphasizing the contrast between the Emperor's perception of himself and Gulliver's perception of himself – similar to the contrast between Belinda's makeup box and the "Off'rings of the World”. The use of an unfamiliar measurement in "blustrugs" makes the emperor's assertions all the more meaningless to the reader, while the contrast between the specificity of "five thousand blustrugs" and the vague and dismissive " about” in Gulliver’s interjection “about twelve miles” paints it in an even more absurd light. Much like Pope, this satirizes the limited perspective of an aristocracy too preoccupied with material wealth, unable to see beyond its own "dominion." However, it also raises interesting questions about the uselessness of temporal power in the context of a universe beyond all knowledge or control – an idea which perhaps stems from the Catholic belief in the insignificance of humanity in the face of a God who controls everything (both popes and Swift were Catholic). Furthermore, after the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, Catholics faced discrimination from Protestant members of the government and aristocracy, which may be the origin of Swift's portrayal of 'a puny and insignificant emperor, oblivious to the realities of "the universe". he claims to terrorize. This harsh assessment of contemporary aristocracy is made all the more scathing by what Rawson describes as a "ruse to lower one's guard, a sense of truth" – Swift's use of a false travelogue imitates a form made so familiar by work. like Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, both lulling the reader into a false sense of security(which is immediately broken by the introduction of the tiny Lilliputians) and, like Pope's mock epic, bringing the positive attitude and never-say-die death of Defoe's journey. narrative in closer juxtaposition with Swift's satire on human insignificance. In this way, Swift's novel can be read not only as a satire of 18th-century Britain, but also of the various sectors of contemporary literature that reflect its hopelessly unrealistic image. Through this lens, Pope's use of mock epic could also be seen as a satire of the excessive elements of classical heroism, devaluing the entire form by applying it to a trivial setting. However, while this may be true to some extent, Pope's experience translating classical epic (he is known for his translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey) demonstrates a deep appreciation of the genre – an appreciation he also applies to elements of classical epic. The British society he so often satirizes. Adrian Blamires describes it as an "empathetic satire", stating that the Pope "maintains a simultaneous mockery of and engagement with the female world", capturing its "vibrant animation". This is certainly correct, for Pope's internal rhyme in "little by little sees a purer blush arise", combined with the assonant and exotic personification in "all Arabia breathes from there", reflects the joy and romanticism of Belinda's world, even despite her naivety. Thus, while Swift's satire offers little empathy in its condemnation of 18th-century society, Pope appears to differ, appreciating its more trivial aspects while satirizing the disproportionate weight he attributes to them. This idea of ​​a confused and disproportionate value system is one of them. which is used by both writers to satirize 18th century society. For example, The Rape of the Lock is described by John Mullan as being full of "ridiculous disproportion", an effect Pope achieves through the juxtaposition between the classics and modernity: "Either sully his honour, or his new brocade, forget his prayers.” , or miss a masquerade.” Here, the dual usage of a zeugma compares the classical, stoic connotations of "honor" and "prayers" to the superficial materialism of "Brocade" and "Masquerade", emphasizing the amalgamation of classical values ​​and modern promiscuity and, in doing so, placing the “serious” and the trivial on the same plane of meaning. This massive exaggeration of the importance of Belinda's "Brocade" satirizes an aristocratic 18th-century value system in which materialism is placed above all else, with the persistent and repeated "m" sound in "Miss a masquerade” adding to the overall tone of decadence and luxury. This wild disproportion undermines the increasingly popular idea that man is a rational being – an idea embodied by the increasingly abundant scientific experimentation of the Enlightenment. Swift also criticizes this idea of ​​inherent human rationality in his description of the Lagado Academy: "He had been working for eight years on a project to extract the sun's rays from cucumbers, which were to be put into hermetically sealed vials...he did not had no doubt that, in eight more years, it will be able to supply the governor's gardens with sunshine. Here the contextual importance of a scientific "academy" should not be ignored, the popularity of such institutions in the 18th century having led contemporary scientist Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle to describe this period as the "age of the academies", confirming the idea. that Swift attacks the growing science movement. Indeed, this movement contradicted his belief in irrationalityhuman, a belief demonstrated by the utterly absurd image of “extracting sunbeams from cucumbers” – by describing science itself as irrational, he transforms the pinnacle of contemporary “rationality” into yet another manifestation of the irrationality of man. . The repetition of "eight years" emphasizes the ridiculousness of the situation, emphasizing the amount of time and resources consumed in a vain quest for rationality, while the use of specific scientific terminology in "hermetically" and "vials" places Swift's satire firmly in the realm of cutting-edge science at the time and, in doing so, demonstrates the uselessness of even the latest ideas and equipment when scientific progress is rendered futile by human nature. The disproportionate emphasis placed on the pursuit of reason reflects Pope's depiction of an unbalanced aristocratic value system, while Swift's idea of ​​an inherent, inexpressible flaw in human nature is deliberately opposed to rationality. perfect” of the Houyhnhnms (whose name translates as “Perfection of nature”). However, rather than as a moral objective, Williams describes the Houyhnhnms as "a satirical contrast in which the good and the bad mix in a proportion which we must decide for ourselves". Indeed, on several occasions, their unconditional logic transforms into impartiality: “the question that had to be debated was whether the Yahoos should be exterminated from the earth”. Here, the reasonable and restrained connotations of "question" and "debate" contrast dramatically with the ideas of mass and indiscriminate slaughter in "exterminated from the face of the earth", emphasizing the subordination of compassion to reason and logic cold. Gulliver's acceptance of cruelty as "superior" highlights the fragility of the 18th-century moral values ​​that many believed underpinned contemporary society – they quickly deteriorate when an alternative is presented. Additionally, this lack of human empathy, especially when combined with Swift's decision to depict the Houyhnhnms as animals rather than another variation of humanity, once again highlights the disparity between two species, this time demonstrating humanity's inability to reproduce the level of rationality. perfection' exhibited by the Houyhnhnms. In this way, Swift satirizes the inability of 18th-century society to adhere to the values ​​of rationalism to which it was beginning to hold, relating to his critique of scientific progress, as well as Pope's description of a society where rational, thoughtful interaction is compromised. by materialism. Furthermore, Swift's description of humanity's inability to separate itself from its nature is perhaps linked to its strong belief in "original sin", leading Williams to describe the ideal set forth by the Houyhnhnms as “not only inaccessible to man, but without relation to him”. '; rather than being an aspirational standard, Swift uses them as a satirical device intended to highlight the futilities of 18th-century Britain through comparison with rational "perfection." In this way, Pope's description of a disproportionate and irrational system of values ​​is constructed by Swift, who chooses to emphasize not only the fragility of these "values", but also their incompatibility with human nature. system of values, such as class, gender and political integrity, to more effectively satirize the social fabric of 18th-century Britain. For example, in The Rape of the Lock, Pope subverts traditional notions of masculinity in an attempt to parody and satire contemporary high society: “But.