Jonathan Swift and popular culture : myth, media, and the man
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Jonathan Swift and popular culture : myth, media, and the man
Palgrave, 2002
- : hbk
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [223]-238) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Ann Kelly's provocative book breaks the mold of Swift studies. Twentieth century Swift scholars have tended to assess Jonathan Swift as a pillar of the eighteenth-century 'republic of letter', a conservative, even reactionary voice upholding classical values against the welling tide of popularization in literature. Kelly looks at Swift instead as a practical exponent of the popular and impressario of the literary image. She argues that Swift turned his back on the elite to write for a popular audience, and that he annexed scandals to his fictionalized print alter ego, creating a continual demand for works by or about this self-mythologized figure. A fascinating look at print culture, the commodification of the author, and the history of popular culture, this book should provoke lots of discussion.
Table of Contents
Introduction Trial and Error: 1690-1711 The Master of Surprises: 1711-1728 Intimations of Immortality: 1729-45 Unconventional Sex, Love, and Marriage: Swift as Liberated Lover Punishment for Nonconformity: The Tragic Swift Rude, Nasty, Obscene: Swift as the Comic Imp of the Perverse The Devil Made a Saint: Swift as Epic Hero Epilogue: Life Ever-Lasting?
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