An Essay on Criticism

An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope and narrated by Denis Daly

First published in 1711, An Essay on Criticism was one of Pope's earliest major poems. As the title suggests, it is an exploration of what Pope considered to be the essential aspects of good critical writing.

As he says:

A perfect judge will read each work of wit

With the same spirit that its author writ

Survey the whole nor seek slight faults to find

Where nature moves and rapture warms the mind. It contains one of the most famous - and frequently misquoted - lines in English poetry:

A little learning is a dangerous thing (Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring)

Public Domain (P)2019 Voices of Today

Conversational, musical cadences

Pope’s masterful, insightful work delivered clearly in its formal verbal beauty and wit with conversational, musical cadences. A pleasure to hear.

Can’t Understand

Narrator’s accent is too thick an his voice sounds as if he has a bad cold. I could not understand about 95% of the reading