Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was an English poet known for satirical verse, such as The Rape of the Lock, and his translation of Homer. An Essay on Criticism was written in response to a debate over whether poetry should be natural or follow rules from the classical past, and proved his gift for the heroic couplet. Other works include The Dunciad and Essay on Man. Pope suffered from tuberculosis, which stunted his spine—he never exceeded four feet six—but he endures as the dominant poetic voice of his century.
Portrait from the studio of Michael Dahl, circa 1727. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0, © National Portrait Gallery, London.