Alexander Pope, The Worms

Pat Rogers (University of South Florida)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1716

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Ballad
Poem

Resources

Generally known as The Worms, this was probably ‘the most popular poem (at least in his own day) that Pope is supposed to have written’ (Ault and Butt, 163). It appeared almost forty times by 1750 in collections, pamphlets, and newspapers. Pope never acknowledged it as his composition, but it appeared in the Miscellanies that he edited in 1727. The poem first appeared among his works in the Warburton edition of 1751. It continued to figure in collections of both Swift and Pope in the second half of the century.

In all likelihood, the poet leaked it deliberately to the notorious bookseller Edmund Curll. On 1 May 1716, Curll announced the publication of ‘The Worms, a Satyr; written by …

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1316 words

Citation: Rogers, Pat. "The Worms". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 October 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39359, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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