A major reconsideration of Jonathan Swift's work undertaken by one of the most influential Swift scholars in the world ( as well as one of the most important editors in the world of Swiftian studies) The volume discusses biographical concerns(Swift's early family history, Stella's education)before launching into a thorough discussion of the controversies surrounding the satirical works (Tale of a Tub to A Modest Proposal). Real discusses the variety of challenges posed by Gulliver's Travels and explicates the historicist and axiological principles informing his criticism of Swift. "...few contemporary commentators on Jonathan Swift have exerted as much influence as Hermann J. Real both for his own criticism and as the editor of the major journal in the field SWIFT STUDIES" Professor Robert Mahony, Catholic University of America