Pope–Theobald controversy

E644532

The Pope–Theobald controversy was an 18th-century literary feud in which Alexander Pope attacked the editor and playwright Lewis Theobald as a dunce and poor critic, most famously in his satirical poem "The Dunciad."

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Pope–Theobald controversy canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (41)

Predicate Object
instanceOf literary controversy ⓘ
literary feud ⓘ
characterizedBy attacks on critical competence ⓘ
editorial rivalry ⓘ
personal satire ⓘ
country Kingdom of Great Britain ⓘ
field English literature ⓘ
genre Augustan literary controversy ⓘ
linked to: Augustan literature
hasCause Lewis Theobald’s criticism of Alexander Pope’s Shakespeare edition ⓘ
rivalry over editorial authority on Shakespeare ⓘ
hasCentralTheme conflict between poet and scholar ⓘ
definition of good literary criticism ⓘ
standards of editing Shakespeare ⓘ
hasEffect damage to Lewis Theobald’s literary reputation ⓘ
satirical attacks on Lewis Theobald in The Dunciad ⓘ
hasHistoricalContext Augustan age in Britain ⓘ
rise of professional literary criticism in the 18th century ⓘ
hasOutcome Lewis Theobald replaced as hero of The Dunciad by Colley Cibber in 1743 ⓘ
hasPeakPeriod 1730s ⓘ
hasPerspectiveOf Alexander Pope, who viewed Theobald as a pedantic dunce ⓘ
Lewis Theobald, who presented himself as a more accurate editor of Shakespeare ⓘ
hasSubject Alexander Pope’s criticism of Lewis Theobald ⓘ
hasWorkAsKeyText Shakespeare Restored ⓘ
The Dunciad ⓘ
involvesWork Pope’s 1725 edition of Shakespeare ⓘ
Shakespeare Restored (1726) ⓘ
The Dunciad (1728) ⓘ
linked to: The Dunciad

The Dunciad Variorum (1729) ⓘ
linked to: The Dunciad

The Dunciad, 1743 four-book version ⓘ
linked to: The Dunciad
language English ⓘ
location London ⓘ
linked to: London, England
mainParticipants Alexander Pope ⓘ
Lewis Theobald ⓘ
notableFor Alexander Pope’s portrayal of Lewis Theobald as the king of dunces ⓘ
origin of the Dunciad’s dunce-hero ⓘ
partOf broader 18th-century Grub Street literary quarrels ⓘ
relatedTo Augustan satire ⓘ
English literary criticism ⓘ
The Dunciad ⓘ
startTime 1720s ⓘ
timePeriod 18th century ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Dunciad → associatedWith → Pope–Theobald controversy ⓘ