An Essay on Man

Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet. Pope became famous quickly for his use of the heroic couplet and aside from Shakespeare he is the most frequently quoted writer in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Pope's most famous works are An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, and The Dunciad. An Essay on Man is an epic poem published in 1734. The poem is noted for helping to popularize optimistic philosophy throughout Europe.