A Pair of Swift Books

A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift (36 of 1294)

To me the most famous Swift book was Gulliver's Travels, which I haven't read yet, but is the book that pops into my mind when I think of Jonathan Swift.  I did start out with two shorter stories, both satires and felt very differently about each.  I didn't enjoy A Tale of a Tub very much.  It felt like I was missing something, and it just didn't grab me.  The story of three brothers, who each represents one of the primary branches of Christianity.

That isn't much of a review, but I didn't enjoy it too much.  It's hard for something published in 1704 to feel relevant today, but this just doesn't hold up in my opinion.

My rating: 2 stars


A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (37 of 1294)

I had the opposite reaction to A Modest Proposal.  Maybe that has to do with the rich vs poor subject instead of religion, but it feels a lot more relevant.  The basic premise is that to ease their economic problems the Irish should sell their children as food to the rich.  In my opinion this was a brilliant piece of satire.

Stephen Colbert even has a modern take on A Modest Proposal.

My rating: 4 1/2 stars