An Essay on Man
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1733-1734
- Form
- Lyric poetry
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 70 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendAn Essay on ManPrinceton University Press, 2016Tom Jones's edition, with an introduction on the poem's philosophy and full notes.
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A philosophical poem in four verse epistles in heroic couplets, addressed to Pope's friend Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke. It sets out to vindicate the ways of God to man by showing that the universe is an ordered whole, a great chain of being, in which apparent evil serves a good we cannot see. The epistles treat man in relation to the universe, to himself as a creature of reason and self-love, to society, and to happiness, and contain the lines whatever is, is right and the proper study of mankind is man.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns An Essay on Man are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
