Alexander Pope, Odyssey

David William Hopkins (University of Bristol)
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Pope (1688–1744) set to work on his translation of Homer’s Odyssey shortly after finishing his Iliad. It was published by subscription in five volumes in 1725–6. The first edition was similar in appearance to that of the Iliad translation – a handsome quarto, with decorative head- and tail-pieces, and extensive “Observations” printed after the text of each book of the poem. Pope’s publisher, Bernard Lintot, immediately advertised his own “trade” editions in folio and duodecimo – the latter with notes at the foot of each page. The Odyssey translation had no Preface but was bookended by “A General View of the Epic Poem, and of the

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Citation: Hopkins, David William. "Odyssey". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3149, accessed 21 November 2024.]

3149 Odyssey 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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