Alexander Pope began "The Rape of the Lock" in 1711 after an incident involving two families he knew. It was an attempt to calm tempers after a dispute which cropped up between two families when Lord Petre cut a lock of hair from Arabella Fermor as a prank. Mr Caryl, who was acquainted with Mr. Pope and ... to her friends. This two-canto version was also published in a book of miscellany by Bernard Lintott, and it proved so popular that Mr. Pope decided to revise it, adding the sylphs and three more cantos in 1712. In 1714 he revised the fifth canto to add Clarissa's speech and ... of an u...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School