Published in several versions from 1728 to 1743, the mock-epic poem The Dunciad satirized bad writing and attacked critics of Pope’s poetry.
In the final version, the king of the Dunces is Colley Cibber, England’s Poet Laureate from 1730 to 1757.
Other targets of Pope’s venom were dramatists Nahum Tate and Lewis Theobald.
Published in several versions from 1728 to 1743, the
mock-epic poem satirized bad writing and attacked
critics of Pope’s poetry. In the final version, the king