English Satires
Public-domain ebook
English Satires
Language: en2,071 downloads on Project Gutenberg
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Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #16126.
About this book
The volume presents a curated survey of English satire, spanning from the medieval pilgrim verses of William Langland to the late‑Victorian musings of Lord Macaulay. Its editor, Oliphant Smeaton, explains that the selection aims to be representative rather than exhaustive, offering the “most typical satires of the successive eras” to illuminate the literary traits and developmental trends of the genre. The contents list more than sixty works, each introduced by brief notes and supported by scholarly acknowledgments, while the opening essay situates satire within a broader historical context, tracing its roots from ancient Rome through the Roman‑inspired English tradition. The book therefore functions as both a literary anthology and a concise study of how irony, wit, and invective have been employed to comment on the customs, fashions, and politics of each period.
The anthology’s voice is scholarly yet accessible, blending concise introductions with excerpts that retain the original poets’ sharp humor and moral edge. Written in a nineteenth‑century academic style, it reflects the period’s reverence for classical forms while acknowledging the evolution of satire into a stylistic quality rather than a distinct genre. Readers who enjoy tracing the lineage of English literary criticism, or who appreciate the wit of poets such as Dryden, Swift, Pope, and Johnson, will find this collection rewarding. It also appeals to those interested in how satire has served both as a weapon against vice and a mirror of society across centuries.
Who appears in English Satires
- Oliphant SmeatonMiddle‑aged Victorian scholar, dark beard, round spectacles, waistcoat and cravat, ink‑stained fingers
- William Langland14th‑century English poet, humble woolen tunic, simple cap, weathered face, calloused hands
- Lord MacaulayLate‑Victorian aristocrat, full beard, top hat, frock coat, dignified posture, pocket watch
The opening · free to read
To the Memory of
ALEXANDER BALLOCH GROSART D.D., LL.D., F.S.A.
WITH A GRATEFUL SENSE OF ALL IT OWES TO HIS TEACHING THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR
PREFACE.
In the compilation of this volume my aim has been to furnish a work that would be representative in character rather than exhaustive. The restrictions of space imposed by the limits of such a series as this have necessitated the omission of many pieces that readers might expect to see included. As far as possible, however, the most typical satires of the successive eras have been selected, so as to throw into relief the special literary characteristics of each, and to manifest the trend of satiric development during the centuries elapsing between Langland and Lowell.
Acknowledgment is due, and is gratefully rendered, to Mrs. C.S. Calverley for permission to print the verses which close this book; and to Messrs. Macmillan & Co. for permission to print A.H. Clough's "Spectator ab Extra".
To Professor C.H. Herford my warmest thanks are due for his careful revision of the Introduction, and for many valuable hints which have been adopted in the course of the work; also to Mr. W. Keith Leask, M.A.(Oxon.), and the librarians of the Edinburgh University and Advocates' Libraries.
OLIPHANT SMEATON.
CONTENTS.
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