An Essay on Criticism 1711 was Pope's first independent work, published anonymously by an obscure bookseller 12-13. It is, An Essay on Criticism, a didactic poem in heroic couplets by Alexander Pope, first published anonymously when the author was years old. However, An Essay on Criticism, published anonymously by Alexander Pope 1688-1744, is perhaps the clearest statement of neoclassical principles in any language. In broad outline, he, Quick Answer: In an essay on criticism, Pope gives rules for poetry while discussing how to evaluate it. The article focuses on how literary critics should approach the decision of what constitutes good.