Reviews for The Poetry of Alexander Pope

The average rating for The Poetry of Alexander Pope based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-12-16 00:00:00 Brian Boss Less theoretically based than other volumes I have read in the Penguin Critical Studies series, but well worth reading for the author's analysis of Jane Eyre and of Charlotte Bronte's narrative method. Susie Campbell takes us through a chapter by chapter account of the novel, sometimes grouping several chapters together, and, while that might seem rather a traditional lit-crit approach, it worked well for me, particularly in pointing out the radical nature of the novel in challenging patriarchal structures and assumptions. There are also short chapters on Charlotte Bronte's life (surprisingly well worth reading), the position of women in the nineteenth century, the political and social context to the novel, religion, and the literary context in which Bronte was writing. That I went back and reread Jane Eyre again demonstrated how much I gained from reading this slim volume. Recommended.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-03-28 00:00:00 Wolfgang Hinkel I had heard for years the reference to Kathrine & Heathcliffe linked in the category of romance couples. I watched the Laurence Olivier movie and cried at his loss. Then I read the book. I was appalled at the way Katherine treated Heathcliffe! Then I discovered that most movies only end with Katherine's death which is not the end of the story, it's the middle. Heathcliffe is a horrible human being! He may be pining away, literally insane with the loss of Katherine, but they way he treats the people he is in charge of (including Katherine's own daughter) is not enjoable to read! I have determined that the Bronte sisters must have had horrible, depressing, abusive lives for all they've written. I'll stick with my tried and true Jane Austen for true romantic couples.