A Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit

by Jonathan Swift

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1710

About the author

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, hence his common sobriquet, "Dean Swift".
Swift is remembered for works such as A Tale of a Tub (1704), An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity (1712), Gulliver's Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal (1729). He is regarded by the Encyclopædia Britannica as the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier—or anonymously. He was a master of two styles of satire, the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.
His deadpan, ironic writing style, particularly in A Modest Proposal, has led to such satire being subsequently termed "Swiftian".

Reviews

[Eswar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the whole point of this nature of satire is to be super ambiguous so that (1) no one sentence can be taken out of context, (2) you can get a vague sense only after reading whole, and (3) you avoid getting shot by not being direct.

What’s more effective, being direct and anonymous or indirect by reputation.

[Jeramie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit short for a book!

[Julie Harrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure what I just read

[Natassia · Rating 3 out of 5]

But weird honestly.