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A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift

Start date: March 1, 2020

Finish date: March 31, 2020

Discussion: Short Story/Novella Collection

Why we're reading this: March 2020 Short Story/Novella
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What Members Thought

Sep 13, 2011 Brad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic, faves, north-atlantic, satire, irish-lit, essays

there is no better way to kick off a semester of literature than a modest proposal. one smart ass student always tries to derail the conversation with an early declaration of the proposal’s satire, but no one listens, and within moments i have a class of fifty - sixty students angry, frustrated, and sometimes rabid as i take swift’s ironic side and ask the students, with all the seriousness i can muster (which is quite a bit), if we shouldn’t give it a try? i follow that up with “why not?” after ...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, gutenberg, read-2013, novellas, e-books, mtbr-challenge-2013, librivox, irish-literature

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick

Opening lines:
It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passeng ...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Suvi rated it really liked it

Shelves: misc, 1700s, _ireland

A short and brilliant satirical essay, where Swift cuts into Ireland's financial situation and the treatment of poor by suggesting that babies should be the main source of food. As a side product you could get gloves for the ladies and boots for the gentlemen. So, by shocking the readers Swift had good chances to be heard. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?

Swift argues that by doing this the population of Ireland would be reduced (especially Papists), the poor could get more assets w ...more

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Mar 20, 2020 Heather L rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, 1980s, group-read

First read this in a high school English class, reread this month as a short read for a GR classics group.

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May 17, 2017 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, 1001-books

Hard to stomach but so well written.

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Dec 06, 2020 Kathy Jo rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001-before-you-die

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that. Yoke's on me!

Nothing like a clever bit of dark satire to shock us into gaining some perspective. Swift provides an astute glimpse into the social dilemmas and mores of 18th century Ireland, and the day-to-day struggles of its many and less fortunate citizens. In some ways it is a relevant in today's world as it was in Jonathan Swift's time.

Once you get past the "ick" factor, the proposal becomes quite the humorous foil.

Also ...
This is a quick rea ...more

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