Synthesized answer
Pope's translation of the *Iliad* was a "remarkable experiment in publishing" that achieved significant success [2]. The venture was characterized by an "unheard-of price" of six guineas for six quarto volumes [2]. Pope undertook the subscription of this work "almost single-handed" [2].
Despite facing "greatest difficulties," including the "increasing gibes of his political enemies," Pope ultimately succeeded triumphantly [2]. This publishing endeavor lifted him "at one bound to affluence and power" [2]. The passages do not detail *how* Pope navigated these challenges beyond stating that he succeeded triumphantly and detailing the high price and subscription method.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
increasing gibes of his political enemies—the poet succeeded triumphantly. The full history of the book is given by Dr. Johnson in his Lives of the Poets , and deserves to be read by all who like literary pluck. Gibbon called this translation "a portrait endowed with every merit save that of faithfulness to the original." Therein spoke the stickler for classical accuracy. All that need here be said is that Pope's work has survived the test of popularity, and certainly remains to-day the best-known and most widely-esteemed of translations from the Greek. Alexander Pope was born in 1688, and…
For works with similar titles, see The Iliad . ← The Iliad of Homer ( 1909 ) by Homer , translated by Alexander Pope → This translation is considered a poetic interpretation, according to the Alexander Pope page. See also: The Iliad ; Homer . Homer 30704 The Iliad of Homer 1909 Alexander Pope THE PEOPLE'S LIBRARY THE ILIAD OF HOMER ALEXANDER POPE EDITOR'S NOTE "It is certainly the noblest version of poetry that the world has ever seen," said Dr. Johnson , "and its publication must therefore be considered as one of the great events in the annals of Learning." Pope was twenty-five when he…
URNE MCMIX CONTENTS PAGE THE ILIAD BOOK The ILIAD OF HOMER Translated by Mr. POPE . Te sequor, O Graiæ gentis Decus! inque tuis nunc Fix a pedum pono pressis vestigia signis: Non ita certandi cupidus, quam prop'ter Amorem, Quod Te imitari aveo— Lucret. LONDON: Printed by W. Bowyer , for Bernard Lintott between the Temple-Gates , 1715. ( Copy of title-page to Vol. 1 of the first edition .) This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
e. ↑ That is, filled to the brim. ↑ Hymns of rejoicing. ↑ This is a noticeable instance of Pope's method of translation. All that Homer says, after he has related that the gods returned to Olympus, is, "all together, and Zeus led them." It has been pointed out that Dryden has, "Jove at their head, ascending from the sea." Pope was on the look-out for picturesque phrases, and did not scruple to borrow, or invent, whether there was anything in the original to correspond or not. ↑ Double-handled, not a double cup.
← Book 1 The Iliad of Homer by Homer , translated by Alexander Pope Book II: The Trial of the Army, and Catalogue of the Forces Book 3 → 1632225 The Iliad of Homer — Book II: The Trial of the Army, and Catalogue of the Forces Alexander Pope Homer BOOK II THE ARGUMENT THE TRIAL OF THE ARMY AND CATALOGUE OF THE FORCES Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a deceitful vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army to battle, in order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles. The general, who is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his assistance, but…
More questions about this book
- The text presents Pope's translation as both "widely-esteemed" and lacking "faithfulness to the original" according to Gibbon. Explain how these seemingly contradictory assessments can both be true, detailing what different criteria might be used to judge the success of a literary translation and why Pope's version excelled in some aspects while falling short in others.
- Dr. Johnson called Pope's work "the noblest version of poetry that the world has ever seen," while Gibbon described it as a "portrait endowed with every merit save that of faithfulness." How would you explain the different perspectives of these prominent figures on the value of Pope's translation, and what does this divergence reveal about the changing priorities or definitions of literary excellence during that period?
- Given Pope's noted "poetic interpretation" and his "tender heart" despite physical disabilities, how might his personal experiences and artistic philosophy have influenced his specific choices as a translator, and what impact did this distinctive approach have on the accessibility and enduring popularity of Homer's Iliad for future generations of English readers?
- The brief introduction to Book 1 immediately highlights "The Contention of Achilles and Agamemnon" and the taking of Chryseïs and Briseïs. Explain why this specific conflict and these initial events are so foundational to the entire epic, and how Pope's decision to emphasize them from the outset sets the stage for the core themes and dramatic trajectory of the Iliad.