Preview
  • A Modest Proposal and Other Essays

  • By: Jonathan Swift
  • Narrated by: Norman Dietz
  • Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

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A Modest Proposal and Other Essays

By: Jonathan Swift
Narrated by: Norman Dietz
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Publisher's summary

In "A Modest Proposal," first published in 1729, Jonathan Swift heaps scorn on then-current political theory and reveals the appalling suffering taking place in Ireland - not through direct reporting, but through mock suggestions on what to do with the poor; they should sell their children for food. "The chief end I propose to myself in all my labors is to vex the world rather than divert it," wrote Jonathan Swift in a letter to his friend Alexander Pope. Other vexing works collected here are "Directions to Servants," "The Art of Political Lying," "A Digression Concerning the Critics," and "Sweetness and Light."
Public Domain (P)1989 Recorded Books
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Editorial reviews

Population problems? Eat the babies, of course. That's what Irish writer Jonathan Swift purports in this famous collection of essays. Both humorous and significant, Swift's articles are some of the most memorable English satirical works. Fittingly so, Norman Dietz is a superb audio performer in a league of his own. His tone juxtaposes both the serious and the tongue-in-cheek, thus capturing Swift's intentions. For each essay, Dietz adopts a caricature appropriate to the context. These essays have been startling since the 1700s. When combined with Dietz's performance, they are enthralling, hilarious, and deeply moving.

What listeners say about A Modest Proposal and Other Essays

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A shockingly witty modest proposal

I’m not sure what the audio problem was in one review, but it sounded normal to me. Who knew that Swift was such an hysterically witty satirist? I mean, obviously many people know this...and now so do I!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Soooo Excellent! Highest Recommendation!

First of all the narration was fantastic. Norman, hats off to you sir. Jonathan swift, I must find more.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it

A range of quality, but overall a nice sampling of Swift’s marvelous and, at times, scandalous satire.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good reading; subpar audio quality

Obviously this is a great story, a masterpiece of satirical humor. I am not reviewing the story. I just wanted to note that I thought the reading performance was very good. The audio quality is not so great, but I found it totally listenable and enjoyed it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious writing, good reading, fine audio

Excellent, hilarious writing. Quite a bit of it is surprisingly applicable to modern life too! Other parts offer a good glimpse into Swift's times.

The reading is done well, with a very wry voice, which is appropriate. Very good. It was a bit hard to hear, due to audio quality, in the shower – but fine in other settings, even with moderately loud fans blowing.

I wish that Audible would divide the file up into the chapters appropriately. There are five essays here. There is an introduction to the essay for the modern reader, and then the essay text itself. But the file is divided into only two chapters, unlabelled, with the division occurring in the middle of an essay. That is my biggest complaint. If each intro. and essay were given its own chapter (preferably with a descriptive label), then the file would be easier to navigate. The good news is that it is only two hours in (approximate) length, so finding one's place is not too hard.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Very difficult to hear

The content of this is probably better read and studied next to other Jonathan Swift works. The quality of the recording is very poor. I suggest you read it.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

waste of money

As been said, this is very difficult to hear; it's the worst audio quality of anything I've ever got from audible.

On top of that, the reader (firmly American) reads without any of the drama and irony that might help to communicate the point of Swift's satire.

Doing these kinds of texts badly is a sadly wasted opportunity.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Crap

Worse sound quality I've ever gotten from Audible.

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