Tagged: satire
Gulliver’s Travels and Baron Munchausen
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift and Baron Munchausen by Rudolf Erich Raspe, 2/5
When I finally get around to reading an enduring classic, it is usually fairly obvious what timeless merits ensured its survival. In the case of Gulliver’s Travels, however, I was surprised to find it exceedingly dull and tediously obsessed with the author’s now-obscure political feuds. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of this 1888 edition is the unfiltered disapproval evident in the editor’s preface and biography of Jonathan Swift, who apparently played rather fast and loose with the ladies (at least by the standards of the time) and did not shy away from the occasional crass flight of literary fancy. The editor baldly states that he “has not disguised his want of affection for the character of this hero” (10) and is “unable to make the biography a eulogy” (10). He continues further to claim that “The greatest difficulty in the analysis of Swift’s literary character is to discover by what depravity of intellect he acquired a taste for loathsome and filthy ideas, from which every other mind shrinks with disgust” (50). Adding further insult to injury are the numerous footnotes pettily highlighting instances of incorrect grammar in Swift’s at-that-time 162-year-old work. The whole effect was so judgy, self-righteous, uptight, and just stereotypically Victorian that, in retrospect, where I expected to find a commentary on 18th-century morals and issues, I instead encountered an unintentional commentary on 19th-century ones.
The second part of this book consists of the bafflingly ridiculous tall tales of Baron Munchausen, in two volumes. I did not enjoy this unillustrated edition as much as the other that I previously reviewed.
Why I read it: Gulliver’s Travels has been on my to-read list for ages, but I didn’t realize I owned a copy until I was searching for a boring book to combat pregnancy-induced insomnia.
Flatland
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott, 4/5
This bizarre little story is told from the perspective of a two-dimensional “Flatland” dweller, whose visits to one-dimensional “Lineland” and three-dimensional “Spaceland” encourage the reader to consider how very plausible it is that there exist in reality unlimited additional dimensions, of which humankind is arrogantly ignorant.
Why I read it: my dad lent it to me and I had heard of it before (I can’t remember where).
The Constant Rabbit
The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde, 3/5
It quickly became obvious to me that this book’s bizarre premise–the struggle for coexistence between humanity and anthropomorphic rabbits–was mostly just a vehicle for the author’s commentary on UK politics (particularly his hatred of the UK Independence Party). “Satire,” with its implications of humor, irony and sarcasm, seems too nuanced a word to describe the tone of this book and brief glimpses of Fforde’s literary creativity and skill just made the incessant political preaching all the more disappointing.
Why I read it: I love many of Fforde’s earlier works and when I heard that he was publishing again, I was very excited to catch up on his latest two books. My enthusiasm has cooled somewhat, since, sadly.
Jonathan Wild
The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great by Henry Fielding, 2/5
This peculiarly depressing little satire flips traditional concepts of morality on its head by recasting infamous 18th-century thief Jonathan Wild as a “Great Man,” deriding all honest men as “that pitiful order of mortals who are in contempt called good-natured; being indeed sent into the world by nature with the same design with which men put little fish into a pike-pond in order to be devoured by that voracious water-hero” (73). There are a few hilarious moments but overall Fielding’s satirical style is a bit strained and tedious.
Why I read it: I can’t remember where I picked this book up from, but it probably ended up in the pile beside my bed because I really enjoyed Fielding’s Tom Jones.
A Modest Proposal and Other Satires
A Modest Proposal and Other Satires by Jonathan Swift, 4/5
Swift combines wit, humour and venom in this collection of satires that attack everything from organized religion to politicians and fellow writers. The 18th-century language and references to now-obscure people and issues do not hinder this book’s continued relevance and, in my opinion, even enhance the timelessness of Swift’s observations–one of my favourite parts of reading very old literature is realizing how little people’s basic natures change with the passage of time.
Why I read it: One of Dad’s coworkers cited “A Modest Proposal” as his all-time favourite piece of literature, which made me curious to read it. Also, I’ve been meaning to read Gulliver’s Travels for quite a while and I thought it was in this collection (which it wasn’t).
I made a couple picture quotes for this book:
Candide
Candide: or, Optimism, by Voltaire, trans. and ed. by Theo Cuffe, 3/5
I was expecting a classy, clever satire, not such a crass tale. While entertaining, witty and devastatingly sarcastic in parts, I felt that its overall tone was tasteless and shallow; there is something off-putting and ignoble about a writer putting warped versions of his opponents’ beliefs into the mouths of fools, creating too-easy targets for snide and immature insults. It seemed more the bawdy tale of a sea captain than that of a writer with any pretensions to philosophic depth.
[Why I read it: can’t remember where I actually got the book from, but I was interested in reading it because a friend had me watch the operetta version starring soprano Kristan Chenoweth.]
Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, 5/5
This book is brilliant and hilarious, as is usual for Pratchett. Especially enjoyable was the section satirizing cults.
Snuff
Snuff by Terry Pratchett, 5/5
Pratchett’s latest is brilliantly hilarious, as always.
Reaper Man
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett, 5/5
I read this book for my soul. It is meaningful, deep and rib-shakingly hilarious – everything I love about Terry Pratchett’s writing.
OmniRambles 