The Curliad

The Curliad is a satirical poem written by Edmund Curll in 1729. In this work Curll takes aim at Alexander Pope's famous poem The Dunciad which satirizes the literary world and the decline of intellectual standards. Curll a bookseller and publisher was a frequent target of Pope's satire and was often depicted as a dishonest and unscrupulous figure.The Curliad is structured as a continuation of The Dunciad with Curll himself taking on the role of the hypercritic who offers scathing commentary on the literary figures and works of the day. The poem is divided into three parts each of which focuses on a different aspect of the literary world: booksellers authors and critics.Throughout the poem Curll uses a variety of literary devices including parody irony and allusion to skewer his targets. He also includes a Farther Key at the end of the poem which provides additional commentary and explanation of the various characters and references in the work.Despite its satirical nature The Curliad is also a valuable historical document that provides insight into the literary culture of the early 18th century. It offers a glimpse into the rivalries and controversies that were a part of the literary world at the time and sheds light on the personalities and works of many of the era's most prominent writers and critics.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting preserving and promoting the world's literature in affordable high quality modern editions that are true to their original work.