“That Riccardo,” spat Lorenzo, gazing at Daniella’s bloody lip. Since Pope’s crusade against literary critics, the proverb has wormed its way into various popular works, including James Joyce’s novel Ulysses and Elvis Presley’s hit musical number “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” It retains its original meaning, which warns of the foolishness that some people brazenly use when running into certain situations (often dangerous or otherwise damaging ones) that wiser, more cautious people would avoid.

A popular personal offense that Pope often received (presumably sometimes in public print) was the cruel “hump-backed toad.” And not unlike the scourge of today’s Internet, there were many critics who sought to further insult his work by insulting the man himself. It is unknown exactly what prompted Pope’s rage, but many seem to think that it involved an undetermined degenerative bone condition (most likely Pott’s disease) from which Pope suffered for most of his life that left him stunted, hunch-backed, and physically frail. Nay, fly to Altars there they'll talk you dead įor Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard: No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd, This proverb dates back to 1709, in a time when criticisms and insults were much more eloquent than “lol, this poem sux.” Such criticisms and insults-as well as those who wrote them-were the precise target that English poet Alexander Pope had in mind when he wrote this line in his now-famous poem, “An Essay on Criticism” Let’s click on the cut and see what we’re made of! Greetings and salutations, O Courageous Watchers of Fandom Grammar! Today, we’ll boldly be going where no Fandom Grammar watcher has gone before (except perhaps those who’ve studied English poetry and Latin literature) as we take a look at two proverbs that bravely tackle … well, bravery: “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and “fortune favors the bold/brave.” Running to our aid, armed only with examples and lavender, are Fiona, Hewie, and the rest of the cast of Haunting Ground.

Quotes fortune favors the brave meaning