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Swift is an extremely brilliant man. His work "Gulliver Travels" holds a prominent position among the great books of all time. In this masterpiece, he showcases his remarkable imagination and the skill of using analogies to convey his subtle social commentaries. The story has a wide appeal and is enjoyable for readers of all ages, whether or not they fully understand Swift's underlying messages.
This collection, which features "A Tale of a Tub", is a cerebral and rather difficult read. Swift's essays and satires are sharp, sarcastic, and intellectually stimulating. There are numerous references to both modern and ancient books and authors, making it a challenge even for the most well-read individuals to keep up with all of his inclusions.
There is a central theme running through these satires. Swift was a religious man who adhered to the Anglican faith. He was born in 1667, a time of great scientific discoveries led by figures like Boyle and Hobbes. It was also a period of tension between the Catholic and Anglican faiths in Great Britain.
The title "A Tale of a Tub" has nothing to do with actual bathtubs. As per the reference notes, it is a phrase meaning a nonsensical story. Another double meaning explained is that "tub" is a term used to refer to dissenters' pulpits due to their shape.
The story of "A Tale of a Tub" involves three brothers who are given magical clothing by their father in his will. The three brothers, Peter, Martin, and Jack, represent the three major Christian faiths of the time. Peter symbolizes Catholicism, Martin represents Lutheranism, and Jack (John Calvin) stands for Protestantism. The story begins with Peter taking all the gifts and claiming them as his own. Swift pokes fun at Peter, who claims various pickled foods are delicious meats, clearly mocking the Catholic transubstantiation rites. He then goes on to criticize Martin and Jack. In the end, he gives the nod to Jack as being the most sensible, or the lesser of the evils, among the three brothers.
The story is filled with introductions upon introductions. Before the allegory even begins, the reader has already gone through more than one-third of the 100+ pages of the satire. Additionally, once the story does start, every other chapter seems to be a digression with little or sometimes no connection to the story of the three brothers. It is long-winded and challenging indeed. It is easy to read several pages and realize that not a single word is sinking in. The curious format and the complexity of the 17th/18th century English make "A Tale of a Tub" a bit of a chore to read.
The other satires in the collection are shorter and less complex. In "The Battle of the Books", Swift imagines an Iliad-like clash between classic writers such as Homer, Plato, and Aristotle and modern writers like Boyle and Descartes. There are many references, and the points can be hard to decipher 300 years later.
The most enjoyable of the satires is the last one, "A Modest Proposal". This is the most shocking of the essays. In it, Swift discusses the problem of the poor and overly large families in Ireland. His proposal is to cook and eat little Irish children. By doing so, he argues that important food sources would be increased while the overpopulation problem would be addressed. Of course, he is joking. He uses this shocking proposal to make a point. His main objective is to support legislation to protect and favor homegrown products and foods and to curb the unrestricted export and import rules that were in place at the time. The inaction of the British politicians to enact such protectionist solutions to address the problems of the British Empire frustrated the politically active Swift. "A Modest Proposal" was aimed at sharply criticizing what he believed to be a dereliction of duty by the politicians. He concludes the essay by saying that since previously more modest solutions were being ignored, this more radical idea of cooking Irish children might better gain favor as a fresh, new, and effective approach. As an added bonus, he states that the nation could benefit from this approach as it would also reduce the number of Catholic followers.
Swift demonstrates his brilliance on many occasions, but this book is not for the faint of heart. If you are expecting another "Gulliver's Travels", you have come to the wrong place. It is, however, somewhat interesting to see how a witty and intelligent man like Swift uses satire to drive his points home. He provides valuable insights into the raging battles between science and religion, Protestantism and Catholicism, and the concept of free-will as anti-religious during this divisive period in Great Britain's history.
This collection, which features "A Tale of a Tub", is a cerebral and rather difficult read. Swift's essays and satires are sharp, sarcastic, and intellectually stimulating. There are numerous references to both modern and ancient books and authors, making it a challenge even for the most well-read individuals to keep up with all of his inclusions.
There is a central theme running through these satires. Swift was a religious man who adhered to the Anglican faith. He was born in 1667, a time of great scientific discoveries led by figures like Boyle and Hobbes. It was also a period of tension between the Catholic and Anglican faiths in Great Britain.
The title "A Tale of a Tub" has nothing to do with actual bathtubs. As per the reference notes, it is a phrase meaning a nonsensical story. Another double meaning explained is that "tub" is a term used to refer to dissenters' pulpits due to their shape.
The story of "A Tale of a Tub" involves three brothers who are given magical clothing by their father in his will. The three brothers, Peter, Martin, and Jack, represent the three major Christian faiths of the time. Peter symbolizes Catholicism, Martin represents Lutheranism, and Jack (John Calvin) stands for Protestantism. The story begins with Peter taking all the gifts and claiming them as his own. Swift pokes fun at Peter, who claims various pickled foods are delicious meats, clearly mocking the Catholic transubstantiation rites. He then goes on to criticize Martin and Jack. In the end, he gives the nod to Jack as being the most sensible, or the lesser of the evils, among the three brothers.
The story is filled with introductions upon introductions. Before the allegory even begins, the reader has already gone through more than one-third of the 100+ pages of the satire. Additionally, once the story does start, every other chapter seems to be a digression with little or sometimes no connection to the story of the three brothers. It is long-winded and challenging indeed. It is easy to read several pages and realize that not a single word is sinking in. The curious format and the complexity of the 17th/18th century English make "A Tale of a Tub" a bit of a chore to read.
The other satires in the collection are shorter and less complex. In "The Battle of the Books", Swift imagines an Iliad-like clash between classic writers such as Homer, Plato, and Aristotle and modern writers like Boyle and Descartes. There are many references, and the points can be hard to decipher 300 years later.
The most enjoyable of the satires is the last one, "A Modest Proposal". This is the most shocking of the essays. In it, Swift discusses the problem of the poor and overly large families in Ireland. His proposal is to cook and eat little Irish children. By doing so, he argues that important food sources would be increased while the overpopulation problem would be addressed. Of course, he is joking. He uses this shocking proposal to make a point. His main objective is to support legislation to protect and favor homegrown products and foods and to curb the unrestricted export and import rules that were in place at the time. The inaction of the British politicians to enact such protectionist solutions to address the problems of the British Empire frustrated the politically active Swift. "A Modest Proposal" was aimed at sharply criticizing what he believed to be a dereliction of duty by the politicians. He concludes the essay by saying that since previously more modest solutions were being ignored, this more radical idea of cooking Irish children might better gain favor as a fresh, new, and effective approach. As an added bonus, he states that the nation could benefit from this approach as it would also reduce the number of Catholic followers.
Swift demonstrates his brilliance on many occasions, but this book is not for the faint of heart. If you are expecting another "Gulliver's Travels", you have come to the wrong place. It is, however, somewhat interesting to see how a witty and intelligent man like Swift uses satire to drive his points home. He provides valuable insights into the raging battles between science and religion, Protestantism and Catholicism, and the concept of free-will as anti-religious during this divisive period in Great Britain's history.