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Augustan poetry

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Early 18th-century English poetry modeled on Roman classicism, emphasizing reason, order, and satire

Detailed Definition
Augustan poetry denotes the neoclassical verse of early 18th-century England, inspired by the Roman Augustan age and characterized by wit, reason, formal balance, heroic couplets, and satirical or didactic themes; poets like Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift used polished diction, irony, and moral critique to reflect Enlightenment ideals, emphasizing order, decorum, and social commentary over emotional excess or romantic individualism.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism,” which uses heroic couplets and classical allusions to critique literary standards; John Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel,” a political satire modeled on Roman epic forms; Jonathan Swift’s “The Lady’s Dressing Room,” employing irony and elevated diction to mock vanity; Samuel Johnson’s “London,” which imitates Juvenal’s satires to critique urban decay and moral decline
Additional Notes
Augustan poetry refers to early 18th-century British verse characterized by neoclassical ideals, heroic couplets, wit, and social critique; key figures include Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift—study their use of irony, balance, and formal control.
Also Known As
Neoclassical Verse Augustan Verse Popean Poetry Enlightenment Couplets Latin classical verse Neoclassicism (Europe)
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