A Tale of a Tub - Swift, Jonathan 1667-1745 (London Bathurst, 1739)
A 'Tale of a Tub' (see also 11A18 for the French translation) was first published by the Irish clergyman and novelist Jonathan Swift in 1704; it is the first and perhaps most difficult of all his satires. The title is thought to refer to a dissenting priest’s pulpit, and the work is a biting parody on the religious extravagances that Swift perceived among the clergy at the start of the 18th century. The narrative is written using a complex though playful technique of interlinking stories concerning the lives of three brothers, each representing one of the main branches of western Christianity. The edition is particularly noteworthy for the woodcut illustrations that punctuate the text. For example, there is a striking image of a priest reprimanding the congregation down below, with a gallows and theatre shown in the background. The frontispiece also illustrates a whale distracted by a barrel thrown overboard by sailors: an allegory, perhaps, of how the text was designed to draw the attention of political and religious dissenters away from the affairs of the ‘ship’ of state.
Originally published in 1704
Written for the Universal Improvement of Mankind. To which is added, an Account of a Battle between the Antient and Modern Books in St. James's Library. (...) With the Author's Apology. And Explanatory Notes by W.W.--tt--n, B.D. and Others.
Keywords: 18th Century (1701-1800); Novel; Satire; Criticism; Literature; London (United Kingdom); bibliotheek; boekenoorlog; boekprijs; Staging