Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock; Aubrey Beardsley illustrated edition, Leonard Smithers, 1896
Sylphs in Pope's The Rape of the Lock
In the first canto of The Rape of the Lock, Belinda's guardian sylph prolongs her sleep and brings a dream visitor to her bedside. His speech describes unseen spirits surrounding the social world and imagines the souls of departed women returning to elemental forms. The sylphs belong to the air, where former coquettes continue their restless movement. Their spokesman identifies himself as Ariel. He has seen a danger approaching Belinda before the day ends, but knows neither its nature nor where it will occur, so his warning remains general. When a lapdog wakes her, a love letter drives the vision from her mind. The spirits nevertheless remain active: at her dressing table they arrange her hair, sleeves and gown while the maid Betty receives the credit. Pope gives these airy attendants a role both protective and comic. Their unseen labour enlarges the ceremony of fashionable life into mock-epic action. The introductory letter explicitly calls the human characters as fictitious as the airy ones, placing this account within the poem's invention.
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In the sources
A guardian with an incomplete warning
DocumentedBelinda's guardian prolongs her sleep and speaks through a dream. Calling himself Ariel, he predicts danger before sunset but cannot say what will happen or where.
Aerial attendants
DocumentedThe dream speech places sylphs in the air. At the canto's close they attend to Belinda's hair and clothing, while Betty receives praise for work the poem assigns to them.
Supernatural machinery for social ceremony
InterpretationThe spirits give the ordinary acts of sleeping, receiving a letter and dressing the scale of a supernatural drama. Their protection and invisible labour contribute to the poem's comic treatment of fashionable life; the letter explicitly frames its characters as inventions.
Context & interpretation
The sylphs as literary beings in Pope's introductory letter and complete Canto I, printed pp. 1–7, in the existing 1896 Beardsley edition. Later cantos and other occult or folkloric accounts are outside this entry's scope.
Original passages
Source 1
The Rape of the Lock
The Human Persons are as Fictitious as the Airy ones;Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Rape of the Lock, letter to Arabella Fermor, printed p. xiii
Exact cleared Reader page visually inspected. Complete introductory letter and Canto I reviewed. Documents Pope’s literary beings; later cantos and other occult traditions are outside scope.
- Edition
- IMJ-0263-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0263-E001-P0011
- Original scan leaf
- 23
- Recorded leaf number
- 23
- Current Reader position
- 11
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Rape of the Lock
Her guardian Sylph prolong'd the balmy rest.Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Rape of the Lock, Canto I, printed p. 2
Exact cleared Reader page visually inspected. Complete introductory letter and Canto I reviewed. Documents Pope’s literary beings; later cantos and other occult traditions are outside scope.
- Edition
- IMJ-0263-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0263-E001-P0014
- Original scan leaf
- 26
- Recorded leaf number
- 26
- Current Reader position
- 13
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 3
The Rape of the Lock
The light Coquettes in Sylphs aloft repair,Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Rape of the Lock, Canto I, printed p. 4
Exact cleared Reader page visually inspected. Complete introductory letter and Canto I reviewed. Documents Pope’s literary beings; later cantos and other occult traditions are outside scope.
- Edition
- IMJ-0263-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0263-E001-P0016
- Original scan leaf
- 28
- Recorded leaf number
- 28
- Current Reader position
- 15
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 4
The Rape of the Lock
A watchful Sprite, and Ariel is my Name.Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Rape of the Lock, Canto I, printed p. 6
Exact cleared Reader page visually inspected. Complete introductory letter and Canto I reviewed. Documents Pope’s literary beings; later cantos and other occult traditions are outside scope.
- Edition
- IMJ-0263-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0263-E001-P0018
- Original scan leaf
- 30
- Recorded leaf number
- 30
- Current Reader position
- 17
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 5
The Rape of the Lock
The busy Sylphs surround their darling Care;Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Rape of the Lock, Canto I, printed p. 7
Exact cleared Reader page visually inspected. Complete introductory letter and Canto I reviewed. Documents Pope’s literary beings; later cantos and other occult traditions are outside scope.
- Edition
- IMJ-0263-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0263-E001-P0021
- Original scan leaf
- 33
- Recorded leaf number
- 33
- Current Reader position
- 19
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
