Swift and History
“Swift and History” by Ashley Marshall, published by Cambridge University Press on April 23, 2015, is a scholarly examination of Jonathan Swift’s relationship with history. This 282-page study contends that history was a significant concern for Swift, despite claims to the contrary. Marshall explores Swift’s extensive reading of historical texts and his use of historical examples in his works. The book traces Swift’s historiographical influences and analyzes his attempts to write a history of England, alongside a critical re-evaluation of his “History of the Four Last Years of the Queen.”
Readers will find a systematic analysis of Swift’s perspectives on authority, power, and the rights of sovereigns and subjects. The study delves into how Swift’s engagement with historical events shaped his views on parliamentary representation and succession. By examining these themes, the book provides insights into Swift’s Tory outlook and how it evolved following the decline of his political party in 1714. This edition is presented in English and offers a detailed exploration of historiography and literary criticism within the context of European history.
Official synopsis Publisher
Swift has been said to have little interest in history; his attempts to write it have been disparaged and his desire to become Historiographer Royal ridiculed. Ashley Marshall argues that history mattered enormously to Swift. He read a vast amount of history and uses historical examples copiously in his own works. This study traces Swift’s classical and modern historiographical inheritance; analyses his unsuccessful attempt to write a history of England; and offers radical re-reading of his History of the Four Last Years of the Queen. A systematic analysis of Swift’s view of ‘authority’ is highly revealing. His attitudes toward power and authority, sovereigns’ and subjects’ rights, parliamentary representation, and succession are reflected in his lifelong engagement with and pervasive use of the past. Studying Swift and history enables a deeper understanding of his authoritarian and historiographically Tory outlook – and how it changed when Swift’s party fell from power in 1714.
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