A Tale of a Tub

Description

Jonathan Swift fires his broadside with a parable: when sailors meet a whale, they fling out an empty tub to keep it busy. In Swift’s hands, that “tub” becomes this book—a decoy tossed to distract Leviathan while it slyly examines credulity, fashion, and power.
Beneath the jokes runs a clear tale: a father leaves three sons a will and three coats—meant to fit for life—only for the brothers to stitch on trimmings, quarrel, and forget the rule that kept them true. Swift unfolds the quarrel until even their names—Peter, Martin, Jack—mark their parting ways.
Around the story swirl glittering “digressions” that lampoon critics, fads, and bookmen—showpieces of prose that made Swift the terror of Grub Street and the delight of readers.

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