Liddy, Trea Mary; (2000) Alexander Pope and his patrons. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis is an examination of Alexander Pope's relationships with his patrons, the primary purpose of which is to discover the ways in which patronage mattered to him. Much of the thesis is a study of Pope's relationships with two particular patrons: Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1695-1753) and Allen Bathurst, Baron and later 1st Earl Bathurst (1684-1775). It argues that these two were his most important patrons. Taking Pope's relationships with these two men as case studies, it examines his claim that his relationships with his patrons were governed not only by need but by friendship. Chapter 1, 'Living "among the Great": the Historical Background to Pope's Relationships with his Patrons', consists of six sections. The first section introduces and gives a rationale for the thesis. The second section surveys significant literary-historical discussions of patronage in the early eighteenth century, and expresses some scepticism about the roles that Pope is made to play in some of these accounts. The next section discusses Pope's representation of the relationship between commerce and writing and this is followed by an examination of Pope's own finances as a necessary background for an understanding of his reliance on patrons. In the next section I describe his often satirical portrayal of patronage in his poetry. The final section is an overview of the roles of particular patrons (apart from Burlington and Bathurst). The next three chapters are concerned with Pope's relationship with Burlington. Particular attention is given to the attacks on both men by their contemporaries in order to come to a better understanding of the nature of the bond between them. In Chapter 2, 'Sanctifying Expense: Pope, Burlington and Taste', I investigate the hostile response to the claims made by Pope and Burlington to be arbiters of Taste. In Chapter 3, '"The Freedomes of Friendship"; Pope's Relationship with Burlington', I concentrate on Pope's claims to friendship with Burlington, measuring these against biographical evidence. In Chapter 4, "'A Most Extravagant Censure": The Outcry against the Epistle To Burlington', I describe how these claims were tested in the attacks on Pope for ingratitude towards his patrons on account of his Epistle To Burlington. My last two chapters are concerned with Pope's relationship with Bathurst. I argue that, of all Pope's patrons, Bathurst is the only one with whom he was really friends. Chapter 5, "'Yet Unspoil'd by Wealth": Pope's Friendship with Bathurst', focuses on money in their relationship and considers the attempts of Pope's Epistle To Bathurst to suggest the gentlemanly equivalence of poet and patron. Chapter 6, "'Alas, my BATHURST!": Pope's Later Relationship with Bathurst', focuses on gardening and highlights Pope's remarkable combination of ridicule and respect in his treatment of Bathurst in his Imitation of Horace, Epistle II. ii.. At the end of this chapter, I make some suggestions about the ways in which my research might help towards an understanding of what was a transitional stage in the history of authorship and how changing ideas about authorship shaped Pope's poetry.

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