This work investigates the relationship between the stated intentions of Augustan poets and the specific linguistic idioms they employed to achieve satirical effects. Ian Jack, a scholar of 18th-century literature, examines how the poets of the Restoration and early 18th century utilized classical models to refine the English language. By analyzing the technical evolution of verse, the author argues that the period's satire was defined by a deliberate tension between traditional forms and contemporary social critique.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational study for understanding the formal constraints and stylistic innovations of the Augustan age. The prose is noted for its academic rigor and remains a standard reference for students of 18th-century English poetry.