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The verse epistle
chapter
posted on 2006-11-07, 14:41 authored by W.J. OvertonAlthough accepted as an important form in the long eighteenth century, the verse epistle
has received less than its due of critical attention. Its neglect may be explained in part by
the difficulty of defining it. Unlike most literary forms, such as elegy or pastoral, its
subject matter is unrestricted. Most kinds of poem may be written as epistles, including
elegies and pastorals; the style and tone will vary as widely as the subject; and any
appropriate verse form may be used. A further reason why critics have on the whole
neglected the verse epistle is that most of those who wrote in the form, especially during
its heyday in the eighteenth century, are now, except for Pope, little known. Examples
include John Byrom, John Oldmixon, and Allan Ramsay, all of whom wrote at least as
many epistles as Pope, if not more. The fact that the form was so widely practiced is a
good reason for studying it, especially when scholars and critics are transforming the
canon of the period’s verse. Other reasons are the light it casts on eighteenth-century
culture and society, including the advances in communications, literacy, social behavior
and publishing that helped promote it. For example, as Karina Williamson points out, “It
can scarcely be a coincidence that the beginning of this period saw the foundation of the
Post Office in Britain (1660), the rapid development of a nationwide network of postal
services, and hence a vast increase in letter writing of all kinds” (Williamson 2001: 76).
History
School
- The Arts, English and Drama
Department
- English and Drama
Pages
65924 bytesCitation
OVERTON, W.J. (2006) The verse epistle. IN: Gerrard (ed), A companion to Eighteenth Century Poetry. Oxford: BlackwellPublisher
© BlackwellPublication date
2006Notes
This is a book chapter.ISBN
1405113162Language
- en