A Modest Proposal and Other Short Satires

“The greatest satirist in the English language.” —James Joyce

First published in 1729, Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” remains one of the most brilliant, provocative works of satire in the English language. Swift crafts a precise and unsettling essay that interrogates the social and economic realities of eighteenth-century Ireland. Posing as a concerned economist, he offers a chillingly logical solution to the plight of the nation’s impoverished children—one that shocks the conscience and exposes the callousness of contemporary policy. Swift’s unflinching prose compels readers to examine the mechanisms of power, the consequences of indifference, and the responsibilities of society toward its most vulnerable.

In addition to “A Modest Proposal,” this Warbler Classics edition gathers an original selection of Swift’s most celebrated satirical works: “The Battle of the Books,” “The Episode of Bentley and Wotton,” “A Meditation Upon a Broomstick,” “Predictions for the Year 1708,” “An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity,” “A Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit,” and “Hints Towards an Essay on Conversation.” It also includes a detailed biographical timeline.

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, satirist, and Anglican cleric, recognized as one of the most influential prose satirists in English literature. Educated at Trinity College Dublin, Swift began his career as secretary to Sir William Temple in England before returning to Ireland, where he was ordained and later appointed Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. His major works—including A Tale of a Tub (1704), Gulliver’s Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal (1729)—employ irony and sharp social critique to examine the political, religious, and economic conditions of his time. Swift’s relevancy endures because of his incisive commentary on human nature and society.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, satirist, and Anglican cleric, recognized as one of the most influential prose satirists in English literature. Educated at Trinity College Dublin, Swift began his career as secretary to Sir William Temple in England before returning to Ireland, where he was ordained and later appointed Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. His major works-including A Tale of a Tub (1704), Gulliver's Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal (1729)-employ irony and sharp social critique to examine the political, religious, and economic conditions of his time. Swift's relevancy endures because of his incisive commentary on human nature and society.