A Tale of a Tub

Jonathan Swift

Summary

From the author responsible for the satirical work of genius, A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub is an allegorical work that follows three brothers after the event of their father’s death. When their father, who meant to be God, dies, the three brothers, Peter, Martin and Jack, inherit his will and each receive a decorative coat. Their father also leaves them instruction not to alter these coats in any way because doing so would be damaging for their futures. Despite this warning, the brothers not only quickly make alterations, they also police each other for their choices. Each brother represents one of the major branches of Christianity. Peter, who represents the Roman Catholic church, is the first to change the coat left to him in the will. He adds many embellishments, claiming that the garment is better because of it. Jack, who represents the Protestant church, and Martin, who represents Anglicans, follow their brother’s lead and also add to the coats. Their actions lead to arguments between the brothers, each feeling that they know what’s best for the coats. Feeling like they are being controlled by Peter, Jack and Martin reject him, and then try to undo the alterations made to their garments, furthering the damage to the clothing and to their relationship with each other.

Jonathan Swift created an allegory for the Reformation in his story of the three brothers. With satire and frank representation of the branches of Christianity, A Tale of a Tub addresses issues concerning society’s effect on religion, polluting the original message of its creator. Swift’s satire on the three major branches of Christianity was very controversial and though he wrote under a pseudonym, A Tale of a Tub was traced back to Swift. Even by modern standards, A Tale of a Tub invites controversial conversation that is both relevant and compelling.

This edition of Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub features an eye-catching cover design and is printed in a modern font to appeal to a contemporary audience.

Available since: 01/19/2021.

Other books that might interest you

Car Talk: Men Are from GM Women...

Tom Magliozzi

When a question about anti-lock brakes becomes and entrée for dispensing marital advice, you know you've entered the world of Click and Clack, the Car Talk guys.  Together they dish up sage advice, car guidance, and fun as they irritate, pontificate, and finally illuminate life for the less fortunate of us who are mechanically disinclined.  Listen in to learn how your car life merely reflects your love life.  And feel the deep relief that comes with knowing you're not the caller whose relationship laundry is being strung up the pole for all listeners to enjoy

Show book

Fatboy Fall Down - A Novel

Rabindranath Maharaj

Winner of the 2019 Foreword Indies Silver Medal for Literary Fiction
		 
“Heavy yet rewarding, Maharaj's novel is a reminder that resilience takes many forms — and that most exceed our naming.” — Kirkus Reviews
		 
A heartrending novel about one man’s search for meaning in a difficult life
		 
A child ridiculed for his weight, a son overshadowed by a favored brother, a husband who falls short of his wife’s ambitions, an old man with a broken heart… As Orbits’s life passes, he doggedly pursues a simple dream — a little place in the country where a family might thrive — while wondering if he can ever shake free of the tragedies that seem to define him. 
		 
Fatboy Fall Down is the lush and heartbreaking musings of a man trying to understand his place in the world. Though shot through with sadness, Fatboy Fall Down is also full of surprising moments of wry humor, and Rabindranath Maharaj's deft touch underscores the resilience of the human spirit.

Show book

I Think There's Another...

David Brenner

This release completes Brenner's recording of I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup, his brilliant, healing post-9/11 comedy collection. 
Featuring audience-tested highlights from his stand-up shows, Another Terrorist confirms Brenner's conviction that “laughter is the best medicine, and if one can laugh, one can live.” He riffs on a wide range of issues from the personal to the political. It's hilarity with a healthy dose of humanity and hope—precisely what our nation needed then and needs today.

Show book

Temptation Street

Shari Low

Have you ever taken a wrong turn into Temptation Street? 


Suze has a niggling feeling that her husband Karl's marital sat-nav has taken a wrong turn and led him down the road to temptation. What's a suspicious wife to do? 


Mel knows that her sweet, docile husband Joe would never, ever cheat. But when Suze, her sister-in-law, hires a honeytrap to test Karl, the results blow Mel's world apart. 


Mel, Joe, Suze, Karl. They're family. They're friends. And they're about to discover whether or not they can navigate those other f-words—fidelity and forgiveness. 


Or is relationship misbehaviour much more fun when it's a two-way street?

Show book

Welcome to the Club - 100...

Raquel D'Apice

From an Emmy Award–winning comedy writer: “An absolute must for every parent who needs to laugh so they don’t cry.” —Bunmi Laditan, author of Confessions of a Domestic Failure 
 
From the comedian behind the popular parenting blog The Ugly Volvo comes a refreshing spin on the baby milestone book. Instead of a place to lovingly capture the first time baby sleeps through the night, this book commemorates baby’s first poop explosion; first time baby says a word you didn’t want her to say; and first time you forget the details of childbirth enough to consider having a second kid. 
 
Accompanied by distinctive illustrations, these one hundred rarely documented but all-too-realistic milestones provide comfort, solidarity, and comic relief for exhausted and terrified new parents.

Show book

Say What Now? - How hard can it...

JG Foster

Normally, Mareike Korn would find a lengthy visit to a foreign land thrilling. Making the trip when she’s twenty-six weeks pregnant is another matter. But when her husband’s job is temporarily relocated to the USA, keeping her family together in the late stages of her pregnancy becomes more important than being a stranger in a new place.  
To keep herself sane through the ups and downs of her adventure, Mareike chronicles her experience in her bullet journal. The panic of impending parenthood. Awkward faux pas in a new culture. Getting lost on practically every outing. Whether good, bad, or hilarious, Mareike jots it down for posterity.  
When the experience ends, will looking back allow her to see the beauty of the customs and traditions she uncovered in the mundane of daily life? Or will nostalgia for all she’s been missing prove there truly is no place like home?

Show book