A fresh look at the greatest poet of early eighteenth-century England, this highly readable book focuses on Pope's religious thinking and major poems. G. Douglas Atkins extends the argument that the Roman Catholic poet was no Deist, 'closet' or otherwise.Preface Introduction: Toward Deconfining Pope 1. 'So vast is Art, so narrow Human Wit': Subordinating Part to Whole in An Essay on Criticism 2. 'Slave to No Sect': From Part to Whole 3. Avoiding Deism's 'High Priori Road': A Catholic Sensibility and a Layman's Faith 4. A Emergent Conclusion Bibliography
Atkins offers a refreshing commentary that is all too seldom put forward. His vision of Pope is confidently and consistently articulated. - Jeffrey Smitten, Professor of English, Utah State University, USA
G. Douglas Atkins is Professor of English at the University of Kansas, USA, where he has taught for 43 years. He has won three awards for outstanding teaching, directed the graduate program at the University of Kansas for 18 years, and is the author of 15 books and 3 edited collections.