Alexander Pope - The Rape of the Lock: An Heroicomical Poem in Five Cantos

Subtitled " An Heroi-Comical Poem " , Pope's satire is based on a real event--the playful cutting of a lock of young woman's hair by an enamored swain--that caused a rift between two prominent families. Pope's attempt to smooth things over with humor was apparently successful: the feud ended, and the poem was a huge hit with the public. " The Rape of the Lock " parodies " The Iliad " , " The Aeneid " , and " Paradise Lost " , and uses all the devices of the epic--gods, heroes, battles, even a journey to the Underworld--in an affectionate and supremely witty work of genius.