18th century poets,The 18th. Century heralded the end of the Renaissance and the beginning of the short-lived Neo-Classical period, that soon followed the Renaissance and shortly gave way to the Romanticism. The world had begun to search for knowledge and rely on scientific learning. At the beginning of this century, England did command the respect of its eternal archenemy, Spain, when England seized Gibraltar, though it would not be the deathblow to Spanish might. England was still preparing for the coming of that day.

By 1707, England had merged with Scotland and Wales, in order to constitute the United Kingdom of Great Britain. On the other side of the Atlantic, the colonies were now known as The United States. This former colonial territory was a mecca to European people, especially Germans. These hard-working immigrants would help to create new industries, based on the latest agricultural achievements. All those enthusiastic new Americans were helping grease the wheels of progress in regard to world history.

But, as the new American residents worked hard, they also loved freedom - the love of freedom that the Puritans had brought with them, at the nation's earliest beginnings. Soon brilliant, thinking men who would speak about democracy, economy and other vital ideologies would appear. These new ideologies would be swiftly and strongly embraced by North Americans and would kick-start its destiny of changing the world.

If we are to speak about poetry during this period, then we must start with Alexander Pope (1688-1744). He was, along with several contemporaries who followed the French poet and theorist, Nicholas Boileau, (1636-1711), who, in turn, was a fervent follower of the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatious Flaccus, 65-8 B.C.), author of Ars Poetica. and other classical Latin and Greek poets.
Boileau was the author of the book Art Poetique, which became the manual of the poets who founded the Neo-Classical era which was noted for the imitation of classical aesthetics in poetry.

Pope was considered a prodigy, because he wrote quality verse at only twenty years of age. One of his more celebrated poem was "The Dunciad" (begun in 1728 and completed in 1741), a satire aimed at his detractors and the dullness of some pieces of art in those days. This poem uses the heroic couplet. The heroic couplet comes from Horace and was used first in England by John Donne, Andrew Marvell and John Milton. It is considered to have been perfected by John Dryden (1631-1700), poet laureate.

source: tripod