The Age of Pope / (1700-1744)

The handbook surveys early eighteenth-century English literature through two main parts on poets and prose writers, offering chapters on major figures and groups—poets of satire and refinement, essayists and dramatists, novelists and satirists, and moral and philosophical writers. It considers continuities from earlier seventeenth-century models to a growing preference for wit, polished form, and lucid prose, and examines characteristic genres, styles, and critical reception. The text combines biographical sketches, critical judgments, and reference tools such as chronological and alphabetical lists, aiming to provide accurate information and practical guidance that encourages close reading and informed appreciation rather than mere statistical summary.