Let's define what is exactly contemporary satire. This
genre belongs to a form of comedic literature whose purpose is to present a mocked
scenario as it if were serious. This is an aim to criticize and basically laugh about
serious topics that, in a contemporary satire, will be ridiculed and
belittled.
In "The Rape of the Lock", Pope criticizes the
aristocrats of his time with their ridiculous social rules and expectations by blowing
out of proportion an argument between two rich families over a stolen lock of hair. This
is what is known as the idiom "a tempest in a teacup", or the exaggerated rendition of a
petty situation.
Pope modeled the family feuds as an epic
battle almost identical to The Iliad, complete with a mirror
version of the abduction of Helen of Troy in the form of the rape of the lock.
Everything from excerpts of The Illiad are quoted, the names of
gods are used for characters, and the exaggeration of it all is what makes it a
satire.
If "The Rape of the Lock" were a traditional poem
the situations would not be satirized nor mocked, especially to the extent that
Alexander Pope uses it. The theme of love, beauty and courage are idealized in Pope's
age. Hence, what he did is like a "mockumentary" of one of those uber romantic and
emotional episodes to humor a population that craved a change of
pace.
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