Battle of the Books and Other Short Pieces Annotated
First published 1704 · English · 170 pages
- Poetry
- Satire and humour
This volume gathers shorter works by Swift, led by The Battle of the Books, a mock-heroic account of a fight in a library between the ancient and modern books. It grew from a real quarrel over whether modern writers could equal the ancients. Alongside it are other brief satirical and occasional pieces, with notes to explain names and references. Light, quick and funny, the title piece shows Swift's wit at work on literary pride.
Quotes
instead of dirt and poison, we have rather chosen to till our hives with honey and wax; thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light."