‘The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope, literally means “the violent theft of a lock of hair” and is based on a real incident. This mock epic examines the relationship between men and women in high society of the eighteenth century. A mock epic is a comic narrative poem, written in dignified language that parodies the serious epic genre by treating a trivial subject in a lofty, grand manner.
As you read, create and complete a chart that directly compares mock and heroic epic poems. If a counterpart to a convention of heroic epics is not immediately apparent in the mock epic, you can leaveit blank. Conventions of a Real Epic: Long narrative poem about a quest, Written in elevated language.
Narrates a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture. Begins with a statement of subject and theme and sometimes a prayer to a ddeity(invocation). Uses conventions of storytelling, such as repetition, sound effects, figures of speech, and stock epiithets. Often inc;ludes gods and goddesses.
Includes epic or Homeric similes. In medias res: begins in the middle of the action Now write for Conventions of a Mock Epic.
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