Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Letras Modernas Inglesas –SUA, 3er semestre

Donovan R. Martínez Cruz

The Battle of Books

By Jonathan Swift

Essay on the intervention of Critique in the conflict.

Humorously enough Swift decides to write a work in which books, deities and “vices” are
personified. His satire does not miss several soft spots in terms of the comparison between the
Elder writers and their Modern similar. The author makes an epic narration that resembles that
one written by Homer; “Blackmore, a famous Modern (but one of the mercenaries), strenuously
opposed himself, and darted his javelin with a strong hand, which, falling short of its mark, struck
deep in the earth. Then Lucan threw a lance; but AEsculapius came unseen and turned off the
point.”1, The narrative is directed to different fronts of the battle, mainly following the deeds of
the characters presented as the heroes, there is also the intervention of the deities who having
chosen their favorites, do not spare opportunities to tip the balance in favor of their chosen army.

But Swift is not just reproducing an epic work after the fashion of the classics; he is also
satirizing them or rather using this genre as a vehicle to satirize authors whom he believed
unworthy of their fame and reputations. One example is the confrontation between Richard
Blackmore and Lucan, Blackmore works were no well received by the literary scene, and the
allegory of Blackmore’s javelin falling short of its mark tells about a comparison made between the
two writers, Definitely Blackmore’s infamous epics are not worth the comparison with those of
Lucan’s in the author´s eyes. The fact that Swift and Blackmore had acute differences and sharply
attacked each other’s works, may indicate the ill disposition that Swift had against some other
writers belonging to the Moderns faction. This satirization takes another dimension when Momus
decides to intervene in the conflict by calling the deities in favor of the Moderns.

Being he the personification of unfair critique and other vices (mockery, satire, censure), it
was expected that he first resorted to the goddess Critique, Criticism is then presented as the
master weapon the Moderns count on. When it comes to comparing Ancient and Modern authors,
Swift is positive at the personification of those as entities, all too proud and ready to disclaim any
relationship their work has to those of the classics, the moderns resort to criticism to “validate”
their own works, Swift has it that Wotton gets his inspiration from Critique, "Brave
Wotton," said the goddess, "why do our troops stand idle here, to spend their present vigour and
opportunity of the day?2 and that this “influence” makes him appear utterly disagreeable by
deformity, it also may be implied that the author thought Wotton envious of the Ancient due to

1
Swift, Jonathan, the battle of books, manybooks.net.
2
Swift, Jonathan, the battle of books, manybooks.net.
the fact that he himself was not a prolific writer “…Wotton, to whom the fates had assigned a very
short
thread.”3

Ignorance and pride spawn critique, this one goes by the hand with opinion, critique in its
turn originates impudence, vanity, positiveness, pedantry and ill manners, the author attributes
these faults to his peers (as it is perceived from the tone in which he describes the manner of the
fighters). Each adjective is applied to a Modern at different stages of the battle, Paracelsus was
diligently criticized by many of his contemporaries, they could not agree with the alchemist’s
notions of a field in which science, alchemy and magic could interact with any degree of
objectivity, and not few accused him of ignorance. Virgil confronts the over inflated demeanor of
Dryden’s, a monstrous sized armor and steed, marching with tremendous clamor he advances
from the “… thickest (one cannot avoid thinking that this word was used in two senses) of the
enemy´s squadron…”4 only to show that his pomp was too big for his true worth, initially pride had
made Dryden appear as a fearsome champion, a glimpse through the visor of his helmet betrayed
a “… mouse under a canopy of state… (here the notion of another word game”). Gondibert falls
into pedantry when he fails to recognize the supremacy of Homer in the field of epic narrative
“…Homer appeared at the head of the cavalry, mounted on a furious horse, with difficulty
managed by the rider himself, but which no other mortal durst approach…”5

Bentley and Wotton receive the worst, Impudent when presenting himself to the officials
and clad in an overwhelming yet ragged armor, the hero demanded credits that even his own
army found offensive, ill manners and cowardice are displayed by these two champions in their
attempt to slay Phalaris and Aesop.

A number of allegories, doubled sensed statements, irony and sarcasm are the tools
Jonathan Swift uses to entertain the reader in this satire of an epic battle, criticism, being the
backbone of the narration, works in two directions: the setting of a delightfully humorous piece of
work and the writer’s views on the works of its famed characters.

3
Swift, Jonathan, the battle of books, manybooks.net.
4
Swift, Jonathan, the battle of books, manybooks.net.
5
Swift, Jonathan, the battle of books, manybooks.net.