In an exhaustive Introduction to this new edition of an Augustan classic, Professor R.K. Kaul discusses Alexander Pope’s intellectual background and his concept of poetry. The Rape of the Lock is examined in detail and its use of the mock-heroic for the purposes of social satire analysed. Four useful appendices give the first version of the poem, explain the game of Ombre, discuss the heroic couplet, and provide Sainte-Beuve’s critique of Pope. Explanatory notes on the text are placed at the foot of each page for easy reference.