On this page you will find a brief description of my major works. Every section is dedicated to one work.
A Tale of a Tub
A Tale of a Tub was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift. Arguably, it is his most difficult and perhaps his most masterly satire. This work is a prose parody divided into sections, each examining into the morals and ethics of English. It was composed between 1694 and 1697, but it was eventually published in 1704. It was long regarded as a satire on religion and has famously been attacked for that.
The “tale” represents a consistent satire of religious excess, while the digressions are a series of parodies of contemporary writing. At the time it was written, politics and religion were still closely linked in England and the religious and political aspects of the satire can often hardly be separated. It was enormously popular, but Swift believed it damaged his prospect of advancement in the Church of England. |
The Battle of the Books
The Battle of the Books is a short satire, which was written while Swift worked for William Temple. This short work was added to the Tale of a Tub during the time of controversy.
In this piece, a literal and epic battle between books in the King’s Library takes place. Various books come alive and attempt to settle the arguments between moderns and ancients, as ideas and authors struggle for supremacy. Thanks to Swift’s satire, he manages to avoid saying which way victory fell. In fact, he portrays the manuscript as having been damaged in places, thus leaving the end of the battle up to the reader. |
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, most commonly known as Gulliver’s Travels, is a prose satire, which is both a satire on human nature and the “travellers’ tales” literary subgenre. It is Swift’s best-known work and a classic of English literature. Swift himself stated that he wrote Gulliver’s Travels “to vex the world rather than divert it”. The book became popular as soon as it was published. John Gay, one of Swift’s best friends, wrote in a 1726 letter to the author that “It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery.” Gulliver’s Travels has been the recipient of several designations: from satire to a children’s story and from a science fiction to a forerunner of the modern novel.
Swift regarded Warren Montag’s thought, which stated that Swift was concerned to refute the notion that the individual precedes society, as a dangerous endorsement of Thomas Hobbes’ political philosophy. For this reason, Gulliver repeatedly encounters established societies rather than desolate islands. Swift’s critique of science is the first questioning of a modern liberal democrat of the effects on a society which embraces policies pursuing scientific progress. The book has three major themes. Firstly, it includes the satirical view of the state of European government and of differences between religions. Secondly, it talks about an inquiry into whether men are inherently corrupt or whether they become corrupted throughout their life. Lastly, it restates the older “ancients versus moderns” previously addressed in “The Battle of the Books”. Despite the depth of the book, it is often classified as a children’s story because of the popularity of the Lilliput section. In fact, one can still buy books entitled “Gulliver’s Travels” which include only parts of the Lilliput voyage. Also, many modern films have been produced and they have been addressed to an audience of children. |
A Modest Proposal
A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, commonly known as A Modest Proposal, is a satirical essay. It was published anonymously in 1729. Jonathan Swift suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic issues by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. This satirical hyperbole ridiculed attitudes towards the poor, as well as British policies toward the Irish in general. In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of satire.
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