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The Portable Swift
The greatest satirist in our language here richly represented by the best of his
Essays, Poems, Letters, Journals
and, complete,
Gulliver's Travels
Edited and with an introduction by
Carl Van Doren
Essays, Poems, Letters, Journals
and, complete,
Gulliver's Travels
Edited and with an introduction by
Carl Van Doren
601 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
64 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Swift
4,579Ìýbooks2,067ÌýfollowersJonathan 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".
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".
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2015
Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal are unforgettable, but a large part of the remaining makes the reader feel like he is seeing glimpses of the authors thoughts through chinks in a wall composed of displaced distance and time. I wonder how many of the words and phrases in The Portable Swift are actually double-entendres, sneaking past the censors, as well as a reading audience nearly 400 years later.
January 16, 2022
What a man Swift was and what a collection of poems, letters, novel that the book had offered us! Learning about him and what he did during the time he was on Earth was fascinating. His sharp mind and sharp tongue surely gave him and his friends so much troubles in England and Ireland back to the time 400 years ago (hence all the censors in the book!). But whatever he mentioned in the book sadly are still really relevant to many things are happening now in politic and our society.
Learning that his grave is at Saint Patrick's church in Dub 8, I actually want to visit his grave sometimes soon to study about the man and his legacy. Without him and his money, Ireland would not have the first mental health hospital so early at that time - one of the first in the world too.
Learning that his grave is at Saint Patrick's church in Dub 8, I actually want to visit his grave sometimes soon to study about the man and his legacy. Without him and his money, Ireland would not have the first mental health hospital so early at that time - one of the first in the world too.
March 4, 2009
It's got Gulliver's Travels (complete); A Modest proposal; poetry.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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