Jonathan Swift: The Reluctant Rebel by John Stubbs

This audio book took me FOREVER to get through...31 hours of audio.

Over all I think it was a very well written/narrated book but for the casual reader (not a Swift fanatic) it may be a bit MUCH. This is definitely NOT a bad thing as it is very comprehensive but I found myself not full engaged throughout the "listen" just due to the amount of information being given (I'd say my limit for a topic/story in an audio book is around the 15 to 16 hour range).

I will say, if I ever become famous and need an in-depth biography written about me...Mr. Stubbs, you're hired!
I had more to say but I didn't take notes during the listen and basically (after 31 listening hours spread across 2 months, I forgot it all).

I think I will go back and listen to this again...sometime.

Overall 3.5 stars. ( )

This must, perforce, be an interim review. The book, while eminently readable, and rather well-written, is an old-style, comprehensive biography. It lays out in great detail the political scene, begins with Swift's grandparents, speculates on the psychological effects of early childhood experiences, and so forth. I have decided to take a break.

When I first saw its size, I was daunted. I felt I didn't actually know much about Swift, and it seemed a big step from virtual ignorance to this biography. But it turns out that I know a bit more than I thought. In my youth, and several times since, I read "Mistress Masham's Repose", by T. H. White, and now that I'm reading this book, I realize more and more the importance of Swift in the shaping of White's work. Although Swift may not be mentioned explicitly in "Mistress Masham's Repose", I think he is alluded to constantly.

My previous knowledge of Swift amounted to:
1. Author of "Gulliver's Travels". I never read this book, but I did read portions of it in illustrated stories for children. It is alluded to frequently in "Mistress Masham's Repose".
2. I read "A Modest Proposal" in high school, and can't remember much.
3. I knew that Swift had an anti-science bent, wrote "The Battle of the Books", and lampooned scientists in "Gulliver's Travels" with his floating island of Laputa. I learned all this by reading "The Invention of Science".

But it turns out that this book is also a pretty comprehensive history and that Swift lived during a period in English and Irish history with which I am somewhat familiar. The reigns of William of Orange and Charles II are familiar to anybody who has read Neal Stephenson's "System of the World" and the career of the Duke of Marlborough is well known to one who has watched "The First Churchills".

I knew absolutely nothing about Swift, but I knew a lot about his time, and other figures, so there was really plenty of framework for Swift's life. The book, although long and full of detail and incident, is an engrossing read.

This is a very comprehensive biography of Jonathan Swift. I was drawn to this book because I was forced to read many of Swift’s work in school and I thought his life would be pretty interesting considering the fantastical elements to Gulliver’s Travels and the rather gruesome take on curing starvation in A Modest Proposal. I was not disappointed. Mr. Swift did indeed lead an interesting life.

This book is pretty heavy with the politics of the time. Swift was born in the 1660s and lived well into the 1700s. His satire and his dabblings in politics meant that I needed to learn the basics of British, Irish, and French politics of the time to understand Swift the better. This biography does a really good job of laying that all out for the reader. While I did find that this bogged things down from time to time, I also appreciated that the details were there if I needed to refer to them.

I was surprised to learn that Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland yet insisted he was an Englishman his entire life. Indeed, Swift seems to enjoy being a breathing, walking contradiction. I get the feeling he was never really happy or content and I think he brought some of that on himself. By the same token, I think he would own that and make a quip about it.

It appears that Swift disliked babies, perhaps even had an aversion. The author has an informed guess that Swift would have been a solid germaphobe in today’s time with our knowledge of bacteria and viruses. I totally agree with the author on this point. By the way, Swift didn’t reproduce.

Swift suffered from recurrent vertigo, which was referred to giddiness during his life. Poor dude. I bet this was a huge irritant to him. Later in life he would suffer other ailments such as losing his voice and possibly suffering from insanity. It must have been so frustrating for him towards the end, being a man of words and not able to use them effectively.

For me, the biggest mystery about Swift was his love life, or lack thereof. He had a close tie with Esther Johnson for much of her life and I found it very interesting the great pains he always took to maintain propriety. In fact, he often addressed his letters to her and her lady companion, Rebecca Dingley. Was it love or just a deep friendship? Did they secretly marry or was that just silliness? The author does a good job of laying out the known facts and then making a few educated guesses from there.

Of course, you can’t explore Jonathan Swift without getting into the details of his writings. There’s plenty of that here in this book and even if you aren’t familiar with all of Swift’s publications, the author makes it clear what’s important about each in regards to the subject at hand. For me, this also sometimes bogged down the story of Swift’s life but I also appreciate the thoroughness.

I received a free copy of this book via LibraryThing.

The Narration: Derek Perkins was a good fit for this book. He sounded interested throughout the entire book. There wasn’t much call for character voices, this being a biography. He did capture some emotions here and there as the story of Swift’s life unfolded. ( )

Stubbs started this hefty biography by setting the stage for the young Swift to be introduced on. To a reader who may not be engulfed in the history of the late 17th and early 18th century, it can be quite overwhelming. Notwithstanding, Swift’s life was not the most dramatic or even kind of exciting. There are times when the book becomes a chore. Names are picked up and forgotten as new characters come into the story. If one is interested in Swift’s work or the general happenings of the early 1700’s, this book may add a great deal to your library. ( )

When I first saw that this audiobook was 31 hours and 25 CDs (equivalent to 752 pages in the print version), I was a bit overwhelmed, but once I started listening to the excellent narration by Derek Perkins, I knew I was in good hands. WOW! I have listened to many audiobooks by British narrators, and sometimes, especially on academic subjects, they can come across with a "haughty" tone. This is NOT so with Derek Perkins. His narration is all British sophistication without the stuffiness. Excellent choice for a narrator.

The same holds true for the author, John Stubbs. This is a very scholarly biography, but it is not stuffy. It is quite readable (or easy to listen to in my case). I learned many details about British history and found it fascinating, especially since I just went to England last summer, and spent time at Blenheim Palace and many of the spots in London described in the book.

I am sort of a "Brit Lit Nerd" so I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure how much the general population will like it.

I read Gulliver's Travels in 2003, and this biography made me want to read it again now that I have a better handle on the historical background to his satire. I also want to read some of his other works like "A Tale of a Tub" and "A Modest Proposal." So the biography had a very positive effect on me.

I feel so sorry for Swift. His early experiences of abandonment were heartbreaking. He was brilliant, but I am not sure he was a very happy person.

My only regret with listening to an audiobook is that I did not have access to the pictures that were in a print edition of the book. That would have been very helpful to see the pictures that he sometimes describes.

I agree wholeheartedly with this review of the book in the New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/books/review/jonathan-swift-biography-john-st... ( )