A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift

1. A Tale of a Tub : Written for the Universal Improvement of Mankind
~JonathanSwift
 Paper N/o., Subject Code,
Name : 102 : 22393 : Literature
of the Neo-classical Period
 Topic : Reality & The Limits of Human Mind with
Special Reference to ‘A Tale of a Tub’ by Jonathan Swift
Prepared By : Nirav Amreliya
Batch : 2021-2023 (M.A. Sem. 1)
Enrollment Number : 4069206420210002
Ro. N/o. : 30
Submitted To : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English,
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University,
Vidhyanagar, Bhavnagar – 364001
(Dated On : 4th Dec., 2021)

2. ~: KEY POINTS :~
A Glimpse to the Most Difficult & Volatile Satire by Swift : A Tale of a Tub
(1704) :
‘A Tale of a Tub’ as an Allegorical Representation of Social & Religious
Dynamics of 17th Century England :
 Use of Symbol : The Powerful Tool for a Satirist :
Reality & The Limits of Human Mind in ‘A Tale of a Tub :’
Summing Up :
Resources :

3.  A GLIMPSE TO THE MOST DIFFICULT & VOLATILE SATIRE BY SWIFT : A TALE
OF A TUB (1704) :
 A prose satire originally written between 1694-97 and published anonymously in 1704 by 17th century English satirist Jonathan Swift.
 The 11-part prose satire is the most impactful parody of religion, politics, government and society of then England.
 The main section of the satire ‘Tale’ revolves around the main allegory about Christian history and ironic digression on modern scholarship.
 Divisions of Chapters : (1) Tale : A man speaks to his three sons Peter, Martin, and Jack before the moment of
death.
(2) Digression : The narrator digresses and discusses about the difference between
critics and true critics or who have heart for criticism.
(3) Tale : Peter thinks of himself as the authoritative personality for being the eldest of
the three brothers. He makes changes in coats as per his liking.
(4) Digression : Narrator considers digression itself is beneficial than sticking on the
same subject. He continues Modern versus Ancient Thoughts
discussion as well.
(5) Tale : Peter becomes wealthy whereas Martin and Jack are still trying to figure out
the will given by their father and thus flounder all along.
(6) Digression : Narrator talks about wit, method to madness, how an ideal reader
should be, and how works can be interpreted in various ways.
(7) Tale : The story of the three brothers ends abruptly in this chapter in which Jack is completely ruined now and
narrator does not provide further information about the three brothers
(8) Digression : This is the concluding chapter of the prose wherein narrator discusses the ideal length of any book
and believes that his book should stand the taste of the time along with he shows gratitude
towards
the fellow authors.

4.  ‘A TALE OF A TUB’ AS AN ALLEGORICAL REPRESENTATION OF SOCIAL &
RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS OF 17TH CENTURY ENGLAND :
The First English Civil War (1642-
1646)
The Act of Settlemnt of England (1701)

5.  USE OF SYMBOL : THE POWERFUL TOOL FOR A SATIRIST :
Jesus Christ or
God the Father
as The Dying
Father
The Holy Bible
as the Will of
the Dying
Father
Three Bifurcated
Churches, namely,
Roman Catholic,
Anglican, and
Protestant
Digression or
Distraction
Satirists or Literary
Writers or Attackers to
the Social & Political
Follies

6.  REALITY & THE LIMITS OF HUMAN MIND IN ‘A TALE OF A TUB :’
 ‘A Tale of a Tub’ is a satiric and sardonic narration of the “type of mind that denies
everything outside the mind.” Cynicism of the modern people is precisely depicted in the
character of Jack as he only indulges in his mental world or in ‘ivory tower’ framed by his
narrowness of mind. The ‘Tale’ is marked by the strange denials of the facts of physical
experience which seems a bit incoherent to credulity of truth. We have a good example of
aforementioned argument when Jack encounters a post :
“He would shut his Eyes as he walked along the Streets, and if he happened to bounce his
Head against a Post, or fall into the Kennel (as he seldom missed either to do both) he would
tell the gibing Prentices, who looked on, that he submitted with entire Resignation…”
 Swift goes parallel in holding that the external world is real, that our senses give a true report of it,
and that truth can be discovered by the individual through his or her senses. “Perception,” says Locke
in ‘An Essay Concerning Human Understanding,’ “is the first operation of all our intellectual
faculties, and the inlet of all knowledge in our minds.” Swift would agree.
 As Frederick N. Smith points out that “And Swift’s philosophical position suggests the basis of his
satiric technique: he continually undermines the Moderns’ categorizing, generalizing mind with
images of particular things and everyday experiences described with sensory precision.”

7. SUMMING UP :
The satirical wit & genius of Swift seem to have been
allegorized in his Juvenalian satires such as ‘A
Modest Proposal’ in which he advices Irish people to
engage in cannibalism. Another apt example of his
satire on the style of that philosopher’s lucubration
is ‘A Meditation Upon A Broom-Stick.’
If we are to compare his satire with Indian satires,
especially political ones, we can do it by comparing
with Shashi Tharoor’s ‘The Great Indian Novel;’
which is, unlike rude and bitter satire of Swift’s, is a
political and mild satire.

8.  RESOURCES :
o https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/30110/1/Language_and_Reality_in_Swifts_A_Tale_of_a_Tub.pdf
o https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars/The-first-English-Civil-War-1642-46
o https://www.royal.uk/act-settlement-0
o https://cullodenbattlefield.wordpress.com/tag/act-of-settlement/
o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_a_Tub?wprov=sfla1