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The Rape of the Lock (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

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Belinda, the poetic name of Arabella Fermor, an upper-class English girl. She is a beautiful young woman and vain of her appearance. Although she is a sweet society girl who loves her spaniel and is normally quite agreeable, she flies into a horrid rage when Lord Petre snips off one of her treasured curls.

Lord Petre, a young nobleman, one of Belinda’s suitors. He admires Belinda so much that he wants one of her curls as a keepsake and snips it off at a party when she bends her head over a cup. He refuses to return the curl, and it disappears to...

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