GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
by JONATHAN SWIFT

Bibliography of Works Concerning Jonathan Swift and Gulliver's Travels

Introduction

Jonathan Swift's life and writing is a very rich field of study. Controversy surrounded the man and his writing even while he was alive and five books on Swift's life and work were published within ten years of his death. The main disputes -- the ultimate meaning of his writing, the facts of his life, and their relationship -- have continued unabated for more than 250 years. The RLIN catalog shows more than 1,600 records for books dating back to the 1750s and the MLA Bibliography lists more than 1,900 articles published since 1965 about Swift and his works.

The beginning researcher should be alerted that disputes about Swift are often emotionally charged and the absence of hard evidence has not softened the style of discourse. You will find critics who contend with equal certainty and force that two contradictory facts are established and then build their theses on this shaky ground. Literary criticism often operates without resorting to facts. In the case of Swift, this is perhaps even more true, with correspondingly higher stakes. A.C. Elias Jr. writes,

...Swift is probably the hardest for modern critics to cope with -- not only because he habitually mocks all that we academics hold dear but also because he affects us in ways which our training leaves us handicapped in dealing with. When we teach ourselves to read and analyze literature with professional dispassion, we find ourselves hamstrung when dealing with an author skilled at playing tricks with his readers -- provoking their laughter in unsettling ways, stirring them up obscurely, making fools of them. Before we can analyze the literary ways and means of Swift's satire, we may find that we need to confess how badly we've been stung by it -- an awkward position at best, and for intellectuals a well-nigh intolerable one...It is little wonder that Swift criticism has demonstrated such bewildering variety and vehemence over the years... Swift at Moor Park. (1982) x.

This bibliography aims to identify the key works related to a general understanding of Jonathan Swift -- his life, opinions, and his times -- with a focus on all aspects of Gulliver's Travels. It does not aim to establish what is true or who is right. Nor is it an exhaustive list: it includes only slightly more than 400 titles. The intended audience includes high school and undergraduate students, parents and teachers, as well as general readers interested in further reading. Unfortunately only a few of the books are still in print -- see list of available titles below -- but a respectable selection can be found in a good-sized library. Locating articles in scholarly journals may require access to a research library. Anthologies provide easy access to a representative selection of the literature.

The focus of this bibliography on the Travels partly reflects my own interests and studies. This list has its beginnings in materials I have used in my research These have been augmented with items cited regularly by scholars and critics and items identified through literature searches to fill in gaps. Where I have not been able to see items firsthand, I have relied on reviews and bibliographies for accuracy of the citations, cross-checking entries when possible.

I have included works in English only (because I am not able to evaluate texts in other languages). I have also chosen to exclude dissertations, except when I feel compelled otherwise, based on their very limited availability. I have reversed an earlier decision and now selectively include substantial contributions in online formats. As before, as well as those which are reprints of printed sources. (However, the vast majority of credible and substantive writing about Swift is in print and any serious research requires a trip to the library stacks.) Within the above limits I have tried to be inclusive, touching on a wide range of opinions and approaches.

Swift's other prose works, essays, poetry, correspondence, and personal writings are addressed only indirectly (e.g., within listings of bibliographies, collected works, anthologies of critical works, and the brief listing of other works). I know of no online source that addresses these other works, though I understand one is planned by C18.org.

Within categories, items are listed chronologically, based on original publication date. This provides a historical perspective and emphasizes the point-counterpoint nature of the critical exchanges where appropriate. Entries are formatted according to MLA style. One exception is the addition of dates to cross reference entries to take into account the chronological arrangement of the list. Another modification is the use of "Reprint" and "Extract" to allow references to both the original source of items and their availability in anthologies.

The text of the bibliography is formatted within one continuous file in order that it can be printed as a single, coherent document. Cross references are managed by HTML links and may otherwise be difficult to follow. I have used a frame format in order to provide a table of contents. It is possible to view the bibliography without frames but the table of contents will not be available.

Critical anthologies have a prominent place in this bibliography. I have identified more than twenty collections of essays about Swift's life and work. A large number of the items listed here may be found -- reprinted, extracted, or first-seen -- in one of these volumes. In a field spanning more than 250 years, some material has not been available in print for almost that long. Also, with thousands of items published, it is difficult to know which among them is most worthwhile. Anthologies selectively collect material and organize it in context, providing the interested reader with a ready starting point to the best and most important work in the field in a helpful framework.

I have collected most of the anthologies under their own heading, regardless of their specific focus (except two collections on teaching the Travels just because there always need to be exceptions...). Items appearing in anthologies that are within the scope of this bibliography are listed within their subject headings, with a brief cross reference back to the anthology. Where a title in the list is reprinted or extracted in an anthology, I have noted this also. Thus you may see entries the original source and any all its reiterations identified.

Brown, Norman O. "The Excremental Vision." Life Against Death. by Brown. Middletown: Wesleyan, 1959.179-201. Reprint, Traugott, Discussions (1962) 92-104. Reprint, Tuveson, Swift (1964) 31-54. Reprint, Greenberg, Writings (1973) 611-30.

If you looked here for recommendations for good editions of Swift's works available in print, will probably find the full bibliography less useful. Therefore, here are some titles in print you may want to consider: