The Battle of the Books (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781161457292)

The Battle of the Books is a satirical work by Jonathan Swift, first published in 1704. The book is a parody of a debate that took place in 1697 between French and English scholars over the relative merits of ancient and modern literature. In Swift's version of the debate, the books themselves come to life and engage in a battle to determine which is superior.The battle is fought between the books of the ancients, represented by a group of classical works, and the books of the moderns, represented by a group of contemporary works. The two sides engage in a series of arguments and counter-arguments, with Swift poking fun at both sides and their arguments.Throughout the book, Swift also includes a number of digressions and satirical asides, commenting on various aspects of contemporary society and politics. He also includes a number of references to other works of literature and history, adding to the complexity and depth of the satire.Overall, The Battle of the Books is a witty and entertaining work of satire that skewers the pretensions and follies of both ancient and modern literature, while also offering a broader commentary on the state of society and culture in the early 18th century.While things were in this ferment, discord grew extremely high; hot words passed on both sides, and ill blood was plentifully bred. Here a solitary Ancient, squeezed up among a whole shelf of Moderns, offered fairly to dispute the case, and to prove by manifest reason that the priority was due to them from long possession, and in regard of their prudence, antiquity, and, above all, their great merits toward the Moderns.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Author: Jonathan Swift
ISBN-10: 1161457291
ISBN-13: 9781161457292
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
Language: English
Published: 05/23/2010
Pages: 28
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 10.00h x 7.00w x 0.25d