It is a well-known fact that Aubrey Beardsley was drawing illustrations for different books and magazines by English writers. However, one of his most interesting collaborations was with a famous writer, Alexander Pope. Beardsley was requested to draw an illustration to the Pope’s book under the title of The Rape of the Lock.
The expectations that are created when a person reads some of the Pope’s mock-heroic writings are very individual. Nevertheless, the writer was always expected to mock particular stereotypes of various heroes and literature in general. Almost all his creations in this style were identifying a particular hero as an object of derision, either exaggerating one’s heroic behavior and qualities. The aforementioned expectations can be compared to some of the Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations due to the artist’s caricature style.
Both Pope and Beardsley were satirizing some characters that they depicted or described. This style is especially evident in the illustration Belinda confronts the Baron, where each character is mocked due to his or her natural behavior. Such details as characters’ positions, interior, and atmosphere identify the author’s attitude towards the depicted episode. Moreover, the situation in the text that corresponds to this illustration is absurd.
Beardsley was not accidentally chosen to draw illustrations for the Pope’s book. Their mutual works were overwhelmed with similarities between their creators, such as an informal style of writing/painting, which also implied a significant meaning. Nevertheless, there were minor differences between Pope’s and Beardsley’s works. For instance, Pope’s characters did not exist in real life, whereas Beardsley always wanted to satirize people who he knew or was acquainted with. The aforementioned similarities and differences are essential to recognize and to obtain the full image of both Pope’s and Beardsley’s works because their creations supplemented and supported each other’s meaning and significance.