A minor masterpiece among Pope’s shorter works, this poem consists of fifty lines in heroic couplets, divided into five paragraphs. There is also a fragment of sixteen lines, previously regarded as a suppressed conclusion, but now generally seen as the draft for a separate composition. The poem, known more fully as Epistle to a Young Lady, on her Leaving the Town after the Coronation, made its original appearance in the authoritative edition of his Works that Pope issued in 1717. When he reprinted it in 1735, the author altered the first words of the title to Epistle to Miss Blount.
This change has raised an unforeseen problem in interpreting the verses. They relate to the coronation of G…
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Citation: Rogers, Pat. "Epistle to a Young Lady, on her Leaving the Town after the Coronation". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 May 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40840, accessed 08 September 2024.]