The Rape of the Lock

This edition of The Rape of the Lock provides a fully-annotated text of the poem in its final five-canto version.The original two-canto version is included for comparison, as well as several short poems and extracts from Pope’s her works illustrating his attitudes to women, his views on poetic technique and on Britain’s commercial expansion and empire. The critical remarks of Dennis (1728) and Johnson (1781) are included. The introduction places the poem in the context of Pope’s early career, his relationships with women, and his audience.