一只桶的故事.pptVIP

A Tale of a Tub《一只桶的故事》 by Jonathan Swift A Tale of a Tub was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift. It is arguably his most difficult satire, and perhaps his most masterly. Was published in 1704. A Tale of a Tub is divided between various forms of digression and sections of a tale. The tale, or narrative, is an allegory that concerns the adventures of three brothers, Peter, Martin, and Jack, as they attempt to make their way in the world. Each of the brothers represents one of the primary branches of Christianity in the West. Peter (named for Saint Peter) stands in for the Roman Catholic Church. Jack (named for John Calvin, but whom Swift also connects to Jack of Leyden) represents the various Dissenting Protestant churches such as Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Congregationalists, or Anabaptists. The third brother, middle born and middle standing, is Martin (named for Martin Luther), whom Swift uses to represent the via media of the Church of England. From its opening (once past the prolegomena, which comprises the first three sections), the book alternates between Digression and Tale. However, the digressions overwhelm the narrative, both in their length and in the forcefulness and imaginativeness of writing. Furthermore, after Chapter X (the commonly anthologised Digression on Madness), the labels for the sections are incorrect. Sections then called Tale are Digressions, and those called Digression are also Digressions. Swifts satire was intended to provide a genuine service by painting the portrait of conspiracy minded and injudicious writers. * *