Research Guide for Swift's "Modest Proposal"
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Prepared by Elinor Appel
NSCC Library (this will open in a new window) Irish poverty and prejudice (image links) "St John's Coffe House" by Hogarth. Image source: Rakehell.com. London coffee houses were regular meeting places for men of trade and letters to transact business, expound on topical subjects, read the news, collect mail, see and be seen. Some issues of the time: Catholicism v. Protestantism; Irish self rule; haves and have nots. |
Books
Reference Books - use these books for background information. Three examples:
- Dictionary of Literary Terms [PN 44.5 S46]
- The Encyclopedia of Ireland, see "Catholicism" [Ref DA 906.E53 2000]
- Literature Criticism From 1400 - 1800, Vol. 1 [Ref PN 86 L56]
Circulating Books - use these books to find more in-depth information on your topic.
Refer to Finding Books for tips on searching the catalog using keywords and subject headings. Click on the subject headings you turn up to find more books on your topic. Some examples:
Books on satire, Subject Heading Satire -- History and criticism.
- Introduction to Satire [PN 6149 S2 F39]
- Satire: Modern Essays in Criticism [PN 6149 .S2 P35]
Literary criticism of Swift's writings, Subject Heading Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745 -- Criticism and interpretation.
- Swift: A Collection of Critical Essays [PR 3726 T86]
- Discussions of Jonathan Swift [PR 3726.T7]
- Gale Library of Lives and Letters: Swift [PR 3726 .S7]
Refer to Finding Articles for tips on how to search a periodical database using keywords and ProQuest Topics. Use Boolean Logic when searching a periodical database. Normally this means using AND and sometimes OR in your searches.
- and – for combining concepts/keywords, will narrow the search: swift and satire
- or – when you are using related terms, will broaden the search: satire or irony
- “ ” – when you are using a phrase: “modest proposal”
- ( ) – to organize your search phrase: swift and (satire or irony) and "modest proposal"
Good periodical databases for your research are:
- ProQuest - general database with articles ranging from news to scholarly
- Academic Search Premier - another general database with a range of articles
- JSTOR - academic articles (PDFs presented page by page so harder so scan and search)
Good reference databases for your research are:
- Britannica Online
- History Resource Center, World
- Literature Resource Center
Refer to Searching the Internet for tips on searching the Internet effectively using Google. Simply limiting your search by domain (site:edu or site:gov or even site:co.uk) is often a good way to start.
Selected Web Sites
- "A Modest Proposal" Study Guide, www.universalteacher.org.uk - includes background information, glossary
- Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Web of English History - includes numerous contextual historical links
- Jonathan Swift Links, Center for Irish Studies - pathfinder page to biographical and critical studies of Swift
- Online Literary Criticism Collection, Jonathan Swift, Internet Public Library - more links (and some the same)
- Satire wiki, Dept. of English, Rochester Institute of Technology - definitions, quotes, current examples
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