A Modest Proposal and Other Essays [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition]

by Jonathan Swift (Author), Norman Dietz (Narrator)

Product Details

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 1 hour and 29 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Recorded Books
• Audible.com Release Date: December 16, 1999
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00005478A
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Editorial Reviews

In "A Modest Proposal," first published in 1729, Jonathan Swift heaps scorn on then-current political theory and reveals the appalling suffering taking place in Ireland - not through direct reporting, but through mock suggestions on what to do with the poor; they should sell their children for food. "The chief end I propose to myself in all my labors is to vex the world rather than divert it," wrote Jonathan Swift in a letter to his friend Alexander Pope. Other vexing works collected here are "Directions to Servants," "The Art of Political Lying," "A Digression Concerning the Critics," and "Sweetness and Light."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp Political Satire, December 30, 2009

By 

Bagels (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Modest Proposal (Kindle Edition)

Short and to the point, this is political satire at its best. While some background of Irish history is helpful, what I most like about Mr. Swift's arguments is that they can apply to any society where the group in power frets over what to do with the poor. I was in the middle of a book on the history of the Civil Rights movement in the American South when I read this, and what struck me was how Swift's satire lined up with the events a continent and centuries away from the original subject.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English Satire at it's Finest, May 29, 2008

By 

William Hoffknecht "SC2NewSCast com" (Fernley, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Modest Proposal (Webster's Arabic Thesaurus Edition) (Paperback)

So I have not bought this copy, but I have a few different copies of A Modest Proposal and it is amazing.
Jonathan Swift is really the father of english satire in literature and, along with Gulliver's Travels, this is his magnum opus.
The basic idea is a proposal for economic reform by the export and eating of babies. Now the idea is rather gruesome, but Swift is not meant to be taken literally. The idea was so show how ridiculous people were being, fighting over religion and economics, by showing an idea that, truly could have worked for the time and place if people were okay with child murder. This is nothing short of one of the most hilarious arguments into the problems with governments and economic reform that was ever written.
I highly recommend this short piece for both humor, literature, and a look into the human social mind.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT!, January 18, 2011

By 

Jenn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Modest Proposal (Kindle Edition)

I love this book! It's one of my favorites! However, if you're not used to the vocabulary in it, or your understanding of the turmoil that was going on in this period of history is weak, you might not get the full effect or humor. It's still a worth-while read. Go for it!