An Essay on Criticism

This long didactic poem offers practical and ethical guidance for both critics and poets, arguing that true judgment combines natural taste with learned rules. It counsels critics to know their limits, avoid pedantry and envy, and to refine rather than suppress poetic genius; it urges poets to follow nature and classical models while balancing imagination with restraint. The work diagnoses common faults such as affectation, shallow learning, and mistaken application of rules, and prescribes humility, studied taste, and moderation, delivering its precepts in polished aphorisms and illustrative examples of literary practice.