I see in that Celia poem a bit of Sterne--how reality always inpinges on the most carefully deliberated morality. Swift's scatological satire seems an extension of Rabelais'--the object changing from the Church to the Enlightenment -- e.g. civilization itself.
If we judge satirists by how well they disguise the idealism that drives their outrage, then Swift indeed is up there at the very top.
A lovely essay. I chose Swift's Poems (Oxford edition - I still have it) as my school leaving prize - discovering his works was one of the first great excitements of my literary education.
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Your best essay yet, Patrick.
I see in that Celia poem a bit of Sterne--how reality always inpinges on the most carefully deliberated morality. Swift's scatological satire seems an extension of Rabelais'--the object changing from the Church to the Enlightenment -- e.g. civilization itself.
If we judge satirists by how well they disguise the idealism that drives their outrage, then Swift indeed is up there at the very top.
Thanks for helping bring him back to life.
A lovely essay. I chose Swift's Poems (Oxford edition - I still have it) as my school leaving prize - discovering his works was one of the first great excitements of my literary education.
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