Tale of a Tub

This blog is as a classroom activity assigned by Prakruti Ma'am

A Tale of a Tub as a Religious Allegory

                                                 

                                                              

1)What is a Religious Allegory?

A religious allegory is a story in which characters, objects, or events stand for deeper religious ideas. Instead of saying things directly, the writer uses symbols to represent beliefs, churches, or spiritual truths. It works like a moral lesson hidden inside a tale. For example, a character may represent the Church, or an object may symbolize faith.

How A Tale of a Tub is a Religious Allegory:

Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub is one of the best examples of religious allegory in English literature. The core allegory appears in the story of three brothers and their coats:

The father = Christ, who leaves behind coats (true religion) and a will (the Bible).

The coats = Christianity itself, which should be kept pure and unchanged.

Peter = the Roman Catholic Church, who decorates his coat with gold and embroidery (representing Catholic rituals and corruptions).

Jack = the Protestant Dissenters, who violently tear their coats apart (representing extreme Puritan zeal).

Martin = the Church of England, who tries to follow the will but ends up making compromises (a middle way).

Meaning of the Allegory:

Through this story, Swift shows how different branches of Christianity strayed from the father’s simple instructions. Catholicism became proud and worldly. Puritans became destructive in their attempts to be pure. Anglicans tried balance but were not perfect either.

Why It Matters:

The allegory is Swift’s way of criticizing the corruption, extremism, and hypocrisy in all religious institutions. His message is that the true essence of Christianity is often lost when humans let pride, ambition, or fanaticism take over.

Conclusion:

A Tale of a Tub is a religious allegory because its characters and events symbolically represent the major Christian churches of Swift’s time. By turning religion into a story of three brothers and their coats, Swift makes his critique lively, humorous, and thought-provoking.

2) How has Swift critiqued the contemporary writers, writing practices and critics of his time? [For answering this question refer to: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 5, Chapter 7, Chapter 10, & Chapter 12]

Swift’s Critique of Writers, Writing Practices, and Critics in A Tale of a Tub

Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub is not only about religion. It also makes fun of the writers, critics, and reading habits of his own time. In several chapters, Swift shows how literature had become full of flattery, nonsense, and pride instead of wisdom.

Chapter 1 – The Dedication:

Swift laughs at writers who wrote long dedications to rich patrons, praising them in an exaggerated way just to get money or support. He shows that many authors were not honest but only wanted reward.

Chapter 3 – On Critics:

Critics are shown as arrogant and useless. Swift says they act like flies on dung, enjoying faults instead of real beauty. They don’t create new works, but only attack others.

On critics and shallow readers (Chapter 3)

“Critics resemble those who are bitten with a disease, who, when they meet with anything new, immediately begin to nibble at it.”

Meaning: Critics don’t create anything new; they only attack others’ work like insects biting whatever they find.

2. On modern writers vs. ancients (Chapter 5)

Swift mocks “modern” writers who wanted to look new and fashionable. He says they only copy old ideas and play with style instead of giving real knowledge. He supports the “ancient” writers who gave wisdom and truth.

 “The moderns are like dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants, and yet they presume to look further than the ancients.”

Meaning: Modern writers only stand on the work of great ancient writers, but still pretend they are superior. On digressions and disorderly writing.

Chapter 7 – On Digressions

Swift pretends to “praise digressions,” but he is really making fun of writers who wander away from the topic. Many books of his time were filled with side stories and random matter just to look clever.

“Digressions are, in my opinion, the sunshine; they are the life, the soul of reading.”

Meaning (ironic):

 Swift pretends to praise digressions, but he is mocking writers who wander off-topic and fill books with nonsense.

From these chapters, Swift criticizes:

1. Writers – for being flatterers, copycats, and careless.

2. Critics – for being proud, harsh, and unhelpful.

3. Readers/Market – for liking silly or “mad” books more than serious ones.

Satire, Readers, and Style in Swift’s A Tale of a Tub

Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub (1704) is one of the sharpest satires of the 18th century. While the work is often read as a religious allegory, it also offers biting comments on literature and its audience. Swift not only mocks the writers and critics of his age, but also the reading habits of his audience, showing how readers themselves encouraged shallow and foolish writing. At the same time, his style reveals a writer of deep sincerity and concentrated passion, qualities that set him apart from his contemporaries.

3)How does Swift use satire to mock the reading habits of his audience? Discuss with reference to A Tale of a Tub. [For answering this question refer to: The Preface, Chapter 1, Chapter 10, Chapter 11,  & Chapter 12]

• "There is no contemporary who impresses one more by his marked sincerity and concentrated passion (than Swift)." Comment upon Swift's style in the light of this remark.

Satire on the Reading Habits of the Audience

Swift believed that the decline of literature was partly the fault of the readers. He uses irony, parody, and exaggeration to expose how his audience preferred amusement and novelty over wisdom and truth.

In the Preface, Swift jokingly claims he must fill his book with digressions because readers “expect to be diverted.” Here he mocks readers who only want fashionable and flashy works, not serious thought.

In Chapter 1, he parodies dedications to patrons, exposing how readers accepted false flattery. He says a dedication is often “as a pair of spectacles to help weak eyes see the better.” In other words, dedications were tricks to make both patron and reader feel important.

In Chapter 10, he compares much modern reading to madness: “A certain degree of wit is necessary to make a fool endurable.” Readers delighted in wild, irrational ideas, and this taste encouraged authors to write nonsense.

In Chapter 11, he explains how audiences enjoyed the ridiculous: “There is a peculiar pleasure in being mad.” Readers valued shock and novelty over wisdom, encouraging authors to supply foolish entertainment.

In Chapter 12, Swift argues that society rewards such nonsense: “Madness is a very great merit in a poet.” Here he directly criticizes the reading public for turning folly into fashion.

Through these examples, Swift makes it clear that the audience was as guilty as the writers in lowering the standards of literature. By demanding nonsense, they made nonsense fashionable

Swift’s Style: Sincerity and Concentrated Passion

One critic observed: “There is no contemporary who impresses one more by his marked sincerity and concentrated passion (than Swift).” This remark is especially true when we consider Swift’s style in A Tale of a Tub.

Sincerity: Beneath the layers of irony, Swift is deeply serious. His purpose is moral — he wishes to defend truth, religion, and literature from corruption. Unlike flatterers who wrote only for money or fame, Swift’s writing feels honest and urgent.

Concentrated Passion: Swift’s satire is not scattered or uncontrolled. His anger is disciplined, expressed through sharp wit and precise language. For example, when he attacks critics in Chapter 3, he compares them to vermin: “Critics are like flies, who prefer to dwell on sores.” His concentrated scorn gives his writing both humor and moral weight.

Key Features of His Style:

Irony and Parody to expose folly in a humorous way.

Clarity and Precision, even when imitating madness.

Moral Intensity, showing his hatred of hypocrisy and vanity.

Economy of Expression, with no wasted words — his satire is compact and powerful.

Swift’s combination of honesty and passion gives his satire its unique force. His humor is never idle; it is always directed toward uncovering truth.

Conclusion

In A Tale of a Tub, Swift uses satire to mock not only corrupt writers and critics, but also the audience whose poor taste encouraged bad literature. At the same time, his style demonstrates a rare blend of sincerity and concentrated passion, which makes his satire both entertaining and morally serious. This double achievement — biting humor combined with moral force — explains why Swift remains one of the most powerful satirists in English literature.

Here is a video: