Overview
Ann Kelly's provocative book breaks the mold of Swift studies. Twentieth century Swift scholars have tended to assess Jonathan Swift as a pillar of the eighteenth-century 'republic of letter', a conservative, even reactionary voice upholding classical values against the welling tide of popularization in literature. Kelly looks at Swift instead as a practical exponent of the popular and impressario of the literary image. She argues that Swift turned his back on the elite to write for a popular audience, and that he annexed scandals to his fictionalized print alter ego, creating a continual demand for works by or about this self-mythologized figure. A fascinating look at print culture, the commodification of the author, and the history of popular culture, this book should provoke lots of discussion.
- | Author: A. Kelly
- | Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
- | Publication Date: May 13, 2002
- | Number of Pages: 244 pages
- | Binding: Hardback or Cased Book
- | ISBN-10: 0312239599
- | ISBN-13: 9780312239596
