In both The Kidnapping of the Keyhole and Gulliver's Travels, Pope and Swift both place the flaws and vices of 18th-century Britain in thematic foreground of their writings, with particular attention to satire towards the upper echelons of the aristocratic class, as well as to the attitudes towards sexuality, gender and religion that were the basis of contemporary society. Through the inclusion of real-life characters – Swift's narrative includes references to the corrupt Robert Walpole while Pope's revolves around a real event – ​​both writers place the “serious” aspects of 18th-century society in the realm of the absurd . Indeed, both writers choose to imitate popular narrative structures, while Swift's use of mock epic brings classical heroism into closer juxtaposition with contemporary banality, employing the "heroic couplet" (popular in short stories courage classics such as Dryden's translation of the Aeneid) as well as Being a variety of epic narrative devices, Swift's decision to imitate a conventional, non-fictional "travel narrative" mocks the gullibility of his readers, while simultaneously attacking the he idea of ​​human autonomy and control praised by works such as Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. (as critic Kathleen Williams states, Swift was "hostile to all doctrines of the natural self-sufficiency of man"). By filling their work with recognizable elements of contemporary Britain, then, both writers can more effectively parody and satirize 18th-century society. Likewise, both writers develop a clear divergence between their own voice and that of the “narrator.” This can be seen most prominently in Swift's work, which, far from representing an author's singular, fixed point of view, utilizes shifts in its protagonist's perspective (particularly from admiration for British society to outright revulsion ) to highlight the absence of any singular, compelling moral standard, philosophy or idea underlying contemporary British society. The same divergence is used by Pope, whose faux-epic narrative voice is entirely invested in the scope and grandeur of the events he describes, allowing the writer to effectively demonstrate what, in his eyes, is their banality. However, here, differences begin to appear between the two writers – while Pope's narrative voice, while largely ironic, is at least somewhat sincere in its praise of the banal, while simultaneously mocking the absurd complexity of the routine of Belinda's makeup and celebrating the miraculous physical change that comes with it. This implies that Swift's strong belief in "original sin" means that he presents human nature as irremediably flawed. Despite differences in method, it is clear that both writers present a critical view of 18th-century society, employing and imitating many of its most recognizable elements to parody and satirize it more effectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Both writers play on conventional narrative structure, form, and voice to explore and satirize various elements within 18th century society. For example, Pope's use of mock-epic to describe Belinda's makeup routine juxtaposes the "serious" and the banal, allowing him to effectively satirize human vanity: "Countless treasures open at once, and here the various descendants of the world appear'. Here, Pope's useof the heroic couplet – a rhyming couplet written in iambic pentameter – mirrors the form used in heavier classical works, in contrast to the everyday subject matter: the application of makeup. This contrast would have been even more striking to a contemporary audience, most of whom would have been familiar with John Dryden's prolific use of the heroic couplet in translations of epic poems such as Virgil's Aeneid and Homer's Iliad , creating a highly satirical image of an almost religious level of devotion applied to an everyday act of self-care and, in so doing, placing a strong emphasis not only on Belinda's personal vanity, but also on the level of importance that British society placed to something as insignificant as outward appearance. This contrast is accentuated by the connotations of religious ritualism in 'Off'rings', as well as the materialistic 'Treasures'. The use of such hyperbole to describe a make-up box is perhaps a satire on the limited knowledge and experience of the wealthy and aristocratic classes: their "treasures" are limited to make-up and jewels, a point which Pope further supports with the use of the term's expansive connotations of "World," implying that Belinda's "world" extends little beyond the confines of her makeup box, let alone her social class. In Swift's novel, the limited perspective of the aristocratic class is also satirized, with the vast contrast between the Lilliputian perspective and the emperor's physical size and social greatness ironically demonstrating the superficiality of the aristocratic world: "terror of the universe, whose dominions they extend for five thousand blustrugs (about twelve miles in circumference)". Here, in the emperor's description of himself, the incessant use of connotations of greatness in "universe", "domain", "extend" and "thousand", especially with the frequent use of long vowel sounds here , adds a strong tone of majesty. and scale, placing significant emphasis on the contrast between the emperor's perception of himself and Gulliver's perception of him – similar to the contrast between Belinda's box of tricks and the 'Off'rings of the World' . The use of an unusual measure in "blustrugs" makes the emperor's statements even more meaningless to the reader, while the contrast between the specificity of "five thousand blustrugs" and the vague and dismissive "about" in Gulliver's interjection “about twelve miles” paints it in an even more absurd light. Much like Pope, this satirizes the limited perspective of an aristocracy overly concerned with material wealth, unable to see beyond their own "domination." However, it also raises interesting questions about the irrelevance of temporal power in the context of a universe beyond knowledge or control – an idea that perhaps stems from the Catholic belief in the insignificance of humanity in the face of an all-controlling God ( both Pope and Swift were Catholic). Furthermore, after the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, Catholics faced discrimination from Protestant members of the government and aristocracy, perhaps underlying Swift's portrayal of a puny and insignificant emperor, unaware of the realities of the "universe ". claims to terrify. This harsh assessment of contemporary aristocracy is made all the more biting by what Rawson describes as a "ploy to lower the guard, an impression of truth" – Swift's use of a mock travel narrative mimics a rendered form so familiar from work such as Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, which lulls the reader into a false sense of security (which is immediately shattered by the introduction of the little Lilliputians) and, like Pope's mock epic, bringing the positive attitude, of the " never say die" of Defoe's journey into fictioncloser juxtaposition with Swift's satire on human insignificance. In this way, Swift's novel can be read not only as a satire on 18th-century Britain, but on the various areas of contemporary literature that reflect his hopelessly unrealistic self-image. Through this lens, Pope's use of the mock epic could similarly be seen as a satire on the exaggerated elements of classical heroism, cheapening the entire form by applying it to a banal setting. However, while this is perhaps true to a certain extent, Pope's background in translating classical epic (he is known for his translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey) demonstrates a deep appreciation of the genre – an appreciation that applies also to the elements of the classical epic. British society he satirizes so often. Adrian Blamires describes this as "empathetic satire", stating that Pope "maintains both a mockery and an engagement with the female world", capturing its "vibrant animation". This is certainly accurate, as Pope's internal rhyme in 'gradually sees a purer blush arise', combined with the assonant and exotic personification in 'all Arabia breathes from yonder', reflects the joy and romance of Belinda's world , even despite his naivety. In this way, while Swift's satire offers little empathy in its condemnation of 18th-century society, Pope seems to differ, appreciating its more banal aspects and satirizing the disproportionate weight he places on them. This idea of ​​a confused and disproportionate value system is one that is used by both writers to satirize 18th century society. For example, The Rape of the Lock is described by John Mullan as full of "ridiculous disproportion", an effect which Pope achieves through the juxtaposition between the classics and modernity: "Either stain his honour, or his new brocade, forget his prayers." , or miss a masquerade'. Here, the dual use of zeugma contrasts the classical and stoic connotations of "honor" and "prayers" with the superficial materialism of "brocade" and "masquerade", highlighting the fusion of classical values ​​and modern promiscuity and, in so doing, placing the "serious" and the banal on the same level of meaning. This massive exaggeration of the importance of Belinda's "Brocade" satirizes an 18th-century aristocratic value system in which materialism is placed above all else, with the persistent and repeated "m" sound in "miss a masquerade" which it adds to the overall tone of decadence and luxury. This wild disproportion undermines the increasingly popular idea of ​​man as a rational being – an idea embodied by the scientific experimentation that was becoming increasingly abundant during the Enlightenment. Swift also criticizes this idea of ​​inherent human rationality in his depiction of Lagado's Academy: "He worked eight years on a project to extract the sun's rays from cucumbers, which were to be placed in hermetically sealed vials... he had no doubt that, in another eight years, it should be able to provide sunshine to the governor's gardens. In this case, the contextual meaning of a scientific "academy" should not be ignored, since the popularity of such institutions in the 18th century brought the contemporary scientist Bernard. Le Bovier de Fontenelle to describe the period as "The Age of Academia", confirming the idea that Swift is attacking the growing scientific movement. In fact, this movement contradicted his belief in human irrationality, a belief demonstrated by the. absolutely absurd image of “extracting the sun's rays from cucumbers” – by describing science itself as irrational, it turns the pinnacle of contemporary “rationality” into a further manifestationof man's irrationality. . The repetition of "eight years" emphasizes the ridiculousness of the situation, highlighting the amount of time and resources consumed in a vain search for rationality, while the use of specific, scientific terminology in "hermetically" and "vials" places the satire of Swift firmly within the realm of cutting-edge science at that time and, in doing so, demonstrates the irrelevance of even the most up-to-date ideas and equipment when scientific progress is rendered useless by human nature. The disproportionate importance placed on the pursuit of reason mirrors Pope's depiction of an out-of-control aristocratic value system, while Swift's idea of ​​an inherent and ineradicable flaw in human nature is deliberately contrasted with the "perfect" rationality of the Houyhnhnms (the whose name translates to 'Perfection of nature'). However, rather than as a moral objective, Williams describes the Houyhnhnms as "a satirical contrast in which the good and the not so good are mixed in a proportion which we must decide for ourselves". Indeed, on several occasions, their indisputable logic borders on detachment: “the question”. What remained to be discussed was whether the Yahoos should be exterminated from the earth.” Here, the reasonable and sober connotations of “questioned” and “debated” contrast dramatically with the ideas of indiscriminate mass slaughter of “exterminated from the face of the earth,” highlighting the subordination of compassion to cold reason and logic. Gulliver's acceptance of cruelty as "superior" highlights the fragility of the 18th-century moral values ​​that many thought underpinned contemporary society: they quickly deteriorate when presented with an alternative. Furthermore, this lack of human empathy, particularly when combined with Swift's decision to portray the Houyhnhnm as animals rather than another variant of humankind, once again highlights the disparity between the two species, this time demonstrating the humanity's inability to replicate the level of "rational perfection" exhibited by the Houyhnhnm. In this way, Swift satirizes the inability of 18th-century society to adhere to the values ​​of rationalism to which it was beginning to adhere, connecting to his critique of scientific progress, as well as Pope's depiction of a society in which interaction rational and thoughtful is compromised. from materialism. Furthermore, Swift's description of humanity's inability to separate from its nature perhaps ties into his strong belief in "original sin", leading Williams to describe the ideal outlined by the Houyhnhnms as "not simply unattainable to man, but irrelevant to him." '; rather than being an aspirational standard, Swift employs them as a satirical tool intended to highlight the futilities of 18th-century Britain through comparison with rational "perfection". In this way, Pope's description of a disproportionate and irrational value system is developed by Swift, who chooses to highlight not only the fragility of these "values", but also their incompatibility with human nature. Furthermore, both writers use specific elements supporting this value system, such as class, gender, and political integrity, to more effectively satirize the fabric of 18th-century British society. For example, in The Rape of the Lock, Pope subverts traditional notions of masculinity in an attempt to parody and satirize contemporary high society: "But above all Love - Loving and othering constructed... Then he prostrates himself and implores with burning eyes Soon to get , and I long possess the Prize.' Here, the strong connotations of helpless passivity in the 'prostrate falls' and 'begs' contrast with the heroic, masculine figures..