Dulness
E644529
Dulness is the allegorical goddess of stupidity and intellectual decay who presides over the forces of mediocrity in Alexander Pope’s mock-epic poem "The Dunciad."
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
allegorical figure
ⓘ
goddess ⓘ literary character ⓘ personification ⓘ |
| appearsIn | The Dunciad NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsInGenre | mock-epic poem ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Grub Street writers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
commercialized literature ⓘ hack writers ⓘ |
| belongsToWorkType | English satirical poetry ⓘ |
| commands | the dunces ⓘ |
| createdBy | Alexander Pope NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | The Dunciad NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1728 ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
conflict between wit and dullness
ⓘ
decline of literary standards ⓘ victory of ignorance over reason ⓘ |
| influences |
booksellers within the poem
ⓘ
patrons of bad literature ⓘ poets within the poem ⓘ printers within the poem ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| literaryDevice | allegory ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | Augustan literature NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | embodiment of the poem’s satirical target ⓘ |
| nationalityOfWorkContext | British literature ⓘ |
| opposes |
critical judgment
ⓘ
learning ⓘ wit ⓘ |
| portrayedAs |
queen of the dunces
ⓘ
sovereign of stupidity ⓘ |
| presidesOver |
intellectual decay
ⓘ
mediocrity ⓘ stupidity ⓘ |
| reignsOver | a kingdom of dunces ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
censorship of thought
ⓘ
dunce ⓘ duncery ⓘ pedantry ⓘ |
| roleInWork | central antagonist of The Dunciad ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
anti-intellectualism
ⓘ
cultural decline ⓘ ignorance ⓘ mental lethargy ⓘ triumph of bad taste ⓘ |
| workContext |
satire on contemporary literary culture
ⓘ
satire on political corruption ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.