Jonathan Swift's "The Battle of the Books" : A Burlesque Critique of Pedantry and Sham Scholarship in Literary Circles

Introduction

From the Early Codex, wood or bamboo tablets or  laboriously written out with a quill pen by scribes to the Elizabethan Gutenberg press to the present Audiobooks- books had a long long journey. There had been an enthusiastic battle of books in Elizabethan period, a bulky over production in Victorian time and a modern day world war in eBooks. It was Swift who satirically present this battle 300 years ago. 

Jonathan Swift's "The Battle of the Books" published as part of the prolegomena to his "A Tale of a Tub" in (1704), stands as a prominent example of his satirical genius and his ability to engage in a literary debate while critiquing the prevailing scholarly climate of his time. The work emerged during a period of fierce controversy between proponents of ancient and modern writers. It is a short satire that depicts a literal battle between books in the King's Library (housed in St James's Palace at the time of the writing), as ideas and authors struggle for supremacy. The books were fighting for a place in the shelf.  Alex Wright in his "The Battle of the Books" (2009) questions the pre-argumentative contemplation: Why the books are fighting for? Is the publication influx causes such battles? The other point is the obvious argument: the reign of supremacy of books. None the less,  Swift's "The Battle of the Books" is a witty and insightful commentary on the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns, a debate that raged in the early modern period over the relative merits of classical and contemporary learning: "Now, because the talk of this battle is so fresh in everybody’s mouth, and the expectation of the town so great to be informed in the particulars, I, being possessed of all qualifications requisite in an historian, and retained by neither party, have resolved to comply with the urgent importunity of my friends, by writing down a full impartial account thereof." 

(A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE FOUGHT LAST FRIDAY BETWEEN THE ANCIENT AND THE MODERN BOOKS IN SAINT JAMES’S LIBRARY.)

In "The Battle of the Books," Swift takes aim at both the Ancients and the Moderns, arguing that both sides are guilty of excessive pedantry and arrogance. He also suggests that the debate is ultimately pointless, as both sides are unable to agree on what constitutes true knowledge or progress. 

The Ancients and the Moderns are both Guilty of Excessive Pedantry

Jonathan Swift

"The Battle of the Books" opens with a description of the two opposing armies, the Ancients and the Moderns. The Ancients are led by Homer, Aristotle, and Plato, while the Moderns are led by Descartes, Hobbes, and Locke.

Swift quickly points out that both sides are guilty of excessive pedantry. The Ancients are so concerned with preserving the purity of classical learning that they are unable to see the value of new ideas. The Moderns, on the other hand, are so eager to embrace new ideas that they are willing to dismiss the wisdom of the past.

Swift also argues that the debate between the Ancients and the Moderns is ultimately pointless because both sides are unable to agree on what constitutes true knowledge or progress. The Ancients believe that true knowledge is found in the past, while the Moderns believe that it is found in the present.

Swift suggests that both sides are wrong. He argues that true knowledge is not found in the past or the present, but in the constant process of learning and discovery.

The Ancients and the Moderns are both Capable of Great Achievements

Swift acknowledges that both the Ancients and the Moderns have made great contributions to human knowledge. He argues, however, that both sides have also made mistakes.

Swift suggests that the best way to learn from the past is to be critical of it. He also suggests that the best way to move forward is to be open to new ideas.

Distraction from more Important Matters

Swift argues that the debate between the Ancients and the Moderns is a distraction from more important matters. He suggests that the time and energy that is spent arguing about the relative merits of classical and contemporary learning could be better spent on solving real-world problems.

Swift concludes "The Battle of the Books" by urging his readers to focus on the present and the future, rather than the past. He argues that the only way to make progress is to learn from the past, but not to be bound by it.

A Witty and Insightful Satire

"The Battle of the Books" is a witty and insightful satire that skewers the excesses of both the Ancients and the Moderns. Swift's work is a reminder that the best way to learn from the past is to be critical of it, and that the best way to move forward is to be open to new ideas.

Swift's satire is evident in the way he describes the battle between the two opposing armies. The Ancients are led by Homer, Aristotle, and Plato, while the Moderns are led by Descartes, Hobbes, and Locke. Swift quickly points out that both sides are guilty of excessive pedantry. The Ancients are so concerned with preserving the purity of classical learning that they are unable to see the value of new ideas. The Moderns, on the other hand, are so eager to embrace new ideas that they are willing to dismiss the wisdom of the past.

Swift's satire is also evident in the way he describes the battle itself. The two armies fight with books, scrolls, and other scholarly paraphernalia. The battle is long and bloody, and in the end, neither side is victorious. Swift's point is that the battle between the Ancients and the Moderns is ultimately pointless. Both sides are guilty of excessive pedantry, and neither side is able to see the value of the other's ideas.

"The Battle of the Books" is a witty and insightful satire that skewers the excesses of both the Ancients and the Moderns. Swift's work is a reminder that the best way to learn from the past is to be critical of it, and that the best way to move forward is to be open to new ideas.

Burlesque to Critique Pedantry and Sham Scholarship in Literary Circles

The battle between the Ancients and the Moderns is described in a highly exaggerated and comic fashion. The two armies fight with books, scrolls, and other scholarly paraphernalia. The battle is long and bloody, and in the end, neither side is victorious. The characters in the story, as it happens to elite, are all highly educated and scholarly, but they are also shown to be petty, vain, and self-important. They are more interested in winning the battle of ideas than they are in actually learning anything. The story is full of puns, wordplay, and other literary devices that are used to satirize the pedantry and sham scholarship of the literary circles of Swift's time.

Conclusion  

Jonathan Swift's "The Battle of the Books" stands as a scathing critique of the pedantry and sham scholarship prevalent in his time. Through his championing of the ancients and his employment of mordant satire, Swift reveals the intellectual and moral shortcomings of the contemporary literary culture. By questioning the excessive reverence for learning and exposing the superficial erudition of scholars, Swift highlights the importance of genuine knowledge and critical thinking. His work serves as a reminder that true scholarship should prioritize quality over quantity and should not be constrained by rigid adherence to tradition or blind acceptance of contemporary trends. "The Battle of the Books" remains a timeless piece of literature, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of scholarship and the enduring value of the classics. Later, such scholarship in "The Dunciad" by Alexander Pope (1728) can be found to skewer the pedantry and sham scholarship of the literary circles of Pope's time.

Ardhendu De

References

1. WRIGHT, A. (2009). The Battle of the Books. The Wilson Quarterly (1976-), 33(4), 59–64. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20700629

2. The Battle of the Books. (n.d.). The Battle of the Books. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/623/623-h/623-h.htm