Rochester's «A satyr against and mankind»: originality against allusions

In the present article attempts are made to analyse originality of a poem «A Satyr Against Mankind» by John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester. This poem was written several years before the author’s death. Different viewpoints of literary critics on the problem of presence of allusions to the works of ancient thinkers and Rochester’s contemporaries in the satire are presented in this article. Some conclusions on the problem of originality of the poem are drawn. To support the main idea of the article some extracts from the works of the authors compared to Rochester are cited. Particularly, Rochester’s «A Satyr Against Mankind» is compared to the satires by Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux. Besides, the ideas expressed in the libertine’s work are similar to some statements from «The Essays» by Michel de Montaigne, some philosophical works by Thomas Hobbes and «The Maxims» by François de La Rochefoucauld. Сharacteristic features of the poet’s satire are singled out and described by means of comparing Rochester’s style and message not only with those of his predecessors and contemporaries, but also with his followers’ ones. It is argued that similarity of ideas of authors who lived at the same time does not necessarily presuppose the process of borrowing. It may show the authors’ unanimity of views and great erudition. Analysing some scholars’ opinions on the issue it’s possible to draw the conclusion that the poem by the libertine author is original in both form and content, though it may seem similar to the works of other poets.