A Tale of a Tub is a 1704 satire by Jonathan Swift that criticizes religion. It tells the story of three brothers - Peter, Jack, and Martin - who represent the three branches of Christianity. The brothers alter their father's will about not changing their coats. Peter and Jack fall into delusions of grandeur, while Martin is more restrained. The story is framed with many digressions discussing topics like critics, madness, authors, and interpretation. By satirizing the brothers, Swift aims to comment on the follies and divisions within Christianity.

1. A Tale Of A Tub Summary

2. A Tale of a Tub is a 1704 Restoration
Period satire criticizing religion by
Jonathan Swift. Swift was one of the
greatest satirists of all time. The tale
discusses three brothers—an allegory for
the three branches of Western
Christianity.

3. Peter is a symbol of the Roman
Catholic Church, Jack a symbol
of Puritanism, and Martin a
symbol of the Church of
England. Although the tale of
these brothers seems to be the
focus of the piece, the
digressions often take over in
deliberate Swiftian fashion.

4. A Tale of a Tub begins with an
apology, added in in 1710 after its
initial publication. For anyone who
misinterpreted Swift’s work, he
explains he was discussing the follies
of religion. He asserts his satire should
be revered, as any discourse on law or
politics would be.

5. He also maintains the work is not
plagiarized and any borrowing done
was minimal. Finally, he claims the
unfinished nature of the first
publication was due to a publishing
error and was not purposeful or any
fault of his. The apology is followed
by a list of fictional titles also written
by the author that are meant to be a
joke, such as “A General History of
Ears.”

6. Preceding the list are letters
from the bookseller, wondering
to whom the dedication should
go. The dedication is to “Prince
Posterity,” which Swift uses as a
criticism against what the
public deems worthy of
posterity. There is then an
explanation for the title of the
piece.

7. Sailors used to throw a bathtub into
the sea to dissuade whales from
hitting their ships. The piece is
meant to be a distraction, to get
critics to focus on A Tale of a Tub,
instead of other pieces. The
introductory pieces to A Tale of a
Tub conclude with Swift satirizing
satirists themselves, while also
satirizing introductions in general.

8. A man is speaking to his three sons
before his death—Peter, Jack, and
Martin. The father is willing the
sons coats, which they are never
supposed to alter. The three
brothers immediately begin
altering the coats to suit their
ideas of fashion.

9. For example, Peter wants to add
shoulder knots to his coat. Since nothing
is said in his father’s will about shoulder
knots, he finds the letters in the will that
spell out shoulder knots, which he
thinks is a good enough excuse.
The narrator then digresses into a
discussion about critics. He
differentiates between critics and true
critics. True critics have heart for
criticism. He also differentiates between
modern and ancient ways of thought.

10. As the story of the brothers continues, Peter
delves into fits of delusion. As the eldest
brother, he believes he is entitled to more, as
it comes to titles and honors. He decides to
take on several endeavors, such as building a
continent and inventing a new type of pickle.
He gains wealth and continues having
delusions. His brothers attempt to intervene,
but he does not listen. His brothers take on the
task of translating their father’s will into
modern speech, so they can better understand
his instructions.

11. The next digression discusses digressions. The
narrator asserts that sometimes digressions are
more beneficial than the main instruction itself.
The narrator also continues the modern versus
ancient discussion.
As the story continues, Peter is still wealthy,
but the other brothers live in poverty. They
continue to try to figure out their coats while
studying their father’s will. Martin removes
adornments on the coat without ruining it. Jack
removes all ornamentation on the coat, ruining
it. The brothers begin to grow apart.

12. The next digression continues to praise
digressions. The narrator states that if
certain digressions run in parallel to
other arguments, the digressions can be
especially poignant. This digression also
discusses wit and gives advice on how to
attain wit. Another digression briefly
discusses the wind and how artists and
great thinkers become inspired. After
that, madness is discussed. The narrator
mentions Jack, as he is certainly mad.

13. But, the narrator discusses how men who are
regarded as mad can often change the course of
history, especially those involved in religion. He
discusses examples of these mad men and
asserts these men should be sought out and
given power. To the narrator, this type of
madness is often synonymous with greatness.
Yet another digression discusses authors and
readers. Authors provide prefaces to their works
to explain how their works should be
approached, and the narrator hopes his piece
will be well received.

14. Although there are different types of
readers, satire is only for the learned
type, as the ignorant and superficial
readers will not fully grasp satire. The
narrator then discusses how works can
be interpreted in many uncountable
ways. He notes the interpretation of his
own text, saying readers should search
for strange and unfathomable answers
in his text and they will uncover a
mystery.

15. The story returns to the brothers. Jack has
completely fallen into delusion as well. In his mind,
he finds evidence of more acts to take in his life,
even though the will was solely about coats. Jack
becomes more and more of a zealot. He has fits
and begins to dislike music and colors. Jack and
Peter, still at odds, often run into each other. The
author does not have much more information
about the brothers, but he describes their most
recent actions. Jack and Peter team up against
Martin. Peter gets into trouble though, and Jack
abandons him. The reverse also happens.

16. The conclusion discusses book
length and how books that are too
long are as bad as books that are too
short. The narrator believes his book
will stand the test of time, and
discusses how the book came to be.
He also is grateful for all of his fellow
author friends.

17. THE END