The Dunciad

Book 3 consists of 340 lines of heroic couplets. Being the last book of the earlier editions, there is a note of finality to it. In the context of the four-book Dunciad, it marks the end of Pope’s use of Virgil’s Aeneid as his main reference point; virtually every “imitation” here is taken from that text. Beyond Virgil, trips to the underworld are hallmarks of any epic tale. Dante, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and Odysseus all make similar trips in their great epics, and it is an integral part of any Hero’s Journey. Being a mock-epic, The Dunciad turns this trope on its head.

Pope parodies many of the tropes and known quantities of underworld myths. Cibber does not actually travel to the underworld but instead dreams the journey. He never leaves the comfort and safety of Dulness’s lap. The River Lethe is traditionally where souls are cleansed of the burdens of life; the waters make people forget. In The Dunciad, souls are dipped into the water prior to life to ensure sufficient dullness. The “hero” is made aware of a prophecy and is told that he is the chosen one. In Cibber’s case, though, no great deeds or heroic acts are required. In fact, the less he does, the better.

The entire sequence reinforces all the author’s themes and opinions. Literary standards are in decline. Writers publish for money more than anything else. Politics has infected the entire scene. Despite valiant efforts from the likes of Francis Bacon, John Locke, Isaac Newton, and John Milton, ignorance is on the rise. The only real obstacle the Dunces face is God, but so long as they leave Him be, they will succeed.

Aside from the change of scenery, in many ways Book 3 is simply a continuation of what was begun in the first two books. Its explicit warning of the future is implied in the poem’s earlier critiques. Some new Dunces are mentioned, and a few new allusions are made, but there is little to set it apart.

Except for the poetry. Book 3 contains some of the most evocative imagery of the early books. As Cibber begins his underworld descent, “A slip-shod Sibyl led his steps along, / In lofty madness meditating song” (3: 15-16). With fewer physical actions to guide his writing, Pope leans heavily into figurative language. While the tone remains parodic, the writing hews closest to the classical source material here.

That doesn’t mean that Pope eschews the insults, of course. Cibber continues to take a beating, particularly in the passage where Settle explains that Cibber was dunked into the Lethe over and over again before birth to make him as dull as possible.

In addition to the usual mentions of the Dunces and their offences, Pope devotes some time to praising his friends—and himself. Book 3 ends with a sequence meant to provide evidence that Dulness’s reign may have already begun. Pope describes how his friends and those he looks up to have been supplanted:

Signs following signs lead on the mighty year!

See the dull stars roll round and re-appear.

See, see, our own true Phœbus wears the bays!

Our Midas sits Lord Chancellor of Plays!

On Poets Tombs see Benson’s titles writ!

Lo! Ambrose Philips is prefer’d for Wit!

See under Ripley rise a new White-hall,

While Jones’ and Boyle’s united labours fall:

While Wren with sorrow to the grave descends,

Gay dies unpension’d with a hundred friends,

Hibernian Politics, O Swift! Thy fate;

And Pope’s, ten years to comment and translate (3: 321-32).

Inigo Jones, Richard Boyle, and Christopher Wren were all famous architects. John Gay and Jonathan Swift were two of Pope’s friends and fellow members of the Scriblerus Club. Pope himself was employed for many years in the task of translating Homer and editing his edition of Shakespeare when he might have been working on his own material.

Book 3 does not ultimately present a confirmed revived empire of Dulness, however. No matter how bleak things may appear, Cibber’s vision is only ever a vision. At the time of the original publication of The Dunciad, this did not seem like a particularly hopeful ending, but in the context of the complete edition, it is simply a prettily poetic setup for the doom and gloom that follows as this prophetic vision is realized.