Boileauâs Lutrin: A Mock-Heroic Poem
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Le Lutrin (The Lectern) by Nicolas Boileau is a classic example of a mock-epic poem. This form of satire uses the elevated style of classical epics to describe a trivial subject. Boileau's poem, written between 1674 and 1683, centers on a quarrel between two church dignitaries over the placement of a lectern in a chapel. The poem satirizes contemporary events by treating them with heroic grandeur, a common technique in mock-epic poetry of the Neoclassical period. Boileau was a significant literary critic who championed Classical standards in literature.12
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