The Basic Writings of Jonathan Swift

by Jonathan Swift

This edition of Jonathan Swift’s basic works contains the authoritative texts of all his most important prose writings as well as many shorter pieces, poems, and letter extracts. Included are Gulliver’s Travels , Swift’s devastating picture of human nature and human foibles; A Tale of a Tub , his scathing attack on the intellectual culture and religious excesses of his time; The Battel of the Books , his defense of the classical tradition; and the unforgettable Modest Proposal , in which he proposes that the Irish, in order to avoid starvation, eat their children.

Genres: Satire

1072 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2002

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

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good collection of stories. Interestingly, the collections make up a series that makes more sense than the individual stories. For example, "Gulliver's Travels" actually has four parts, of which usually only the first one (where he is big and the people are small) is referenced; but, the four parts, taken together tell a moral tale bigger than just the cute entertainment value of Lilliputians. An educational read.

[Shannon McCue · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thank bertrand goldgar for instilling my love of jonathan swift. my favorite in this volume is probably 'tale of a tub.'