The Essential Writings of Jonathan Swift

In the Norton Critical Edition of The Essential Writings of Jonathan Swift, the "promise of reliability" (as introduced in the MLA guidelines) is kept well enough to warrant the title of scholarly edition. The editor's approach to best-text editing stems from an interest in both reception and production; in the preface they explain their methodology behind the inclusion and exclusion of certain texts, and the introduction gives an abundance of historical context, including a detailed genealogy of transcriptions.

The book's editors, Claude Rawson and Ian Higgins, dictate in the preface: "Our selection aims in particular to provide a wider representation of his work as a poet and as an Irish political writer than is usually found in one-volume collections." They justify their decisions by suggesting there exists a prevailing lack of recognition for Swift's work in general, as well as arguing the need to "increase awareness of his importance in the literary and political history of Ireland." These claims are supported by an in-depth historical account of Swift's life and work, and of the significant social impact his writings had on all of Europe.

"A Note on the Texts" provides a detailed genealogy of previous editions used in the reproduction of the text, and a reference to the various modernizations of spelling and punctuation. Changes made to the text, as well as definitions and supplementary information can be found in the notations. A significant bibliography including primary works consisting of individual works, collections, biographies, criticisms, and essays are included.


-Troy Evans