English Bards and Scotch Reviewers

About this book

English Bards and Scotch Reviewers was first published anonymously in 1809 with Byron only identified as the author in the 2nd edition. Byron wrote this satire after his first book of poems Hours of Idleness received "strong censure" in the Edinburgh Review. Byron used heroic couplets in imitation of Alexander Pope's The Dunciad to attack the reigning poets of romanticism, including Wordsworth and Coleridge. Byron suppressed this work after the 5th edition, possibly because he came to regret some of the criticism that he had made. (Summary by Alan Mapstone and wikipedia)