Jonathan Swift's Satire & Critique

Jonathan Swift’s satire and criticism use invented speakers, imaginary societies, and sustained irony to expose failures of judgment. Gulliver’s Travels turns unfamiliar customs into a means of examining familiar assumptions, while A Modest Proposal adopts an apparently practical voice to reveal the cruelty of treating people as economic objects. Other writings address literary controversy, the condition of Ireland, and abuses within public life. Swift often gives an argument a calm and orderly surface before disclosing its disturbing implications. The reader’s recognition of the distance between the speaker’s claims and their consequences is central to the satire.