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The Battle of the Books
A short satire written by Jonathan Swift and published as part of the prolegomena to his A Tale of a Tub in 1704. It 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 Rape of a Lock
Alexander Pope wrote 'The Rape of the Lock' in response to a real historical event. At a social gathering in 1711, the young scion of a prominent family, Lord Petre, furtively cut off a lock of hair belonging to Arabella Fermor, the beautiful young daughter of another prominent family. The event caused a quarrel between the two families, who previously had been good friends. -
Robinson Crusoe
an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe in which the protagonist tells about his life as an adventurer making it an autobiographical novel. Robinson Crusoe while young desires to travel abroad but his idea is condemned by his parents. However, he ignores their advice and boards a ship that takes him to London. On their way, the ship gets caught in a fierce storm and Crusoe remembers his decision against his parents. -
Gulliver's Travels
a satirical novel by Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745). The book follows the voyages of Lemuel Gulliver as he ventures to unchartered regions of the world where he finds new civilizations and encounters fantastical beings. As one of Britain's leading satirists, Swift uses each new location to critique forms of government and human nature. -
Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot
A satire in poetic form written by Alexander Pope and addressed to his friend John Arbuthnot, a physician.
It was first published in 1735 and composed in 1734, when Pope learned that Arbuthnot was dying. Pope described it as a memorial of their friendship. It has been called Pope's "most directly autobiographical work" -
Pamela or Virtue Rewarded
An epistolary novel first published in 1740 by the English writer Samuel Richardson. Considered one of the first true English novels, it serves as Richardson's version of conduct literature about marriage. Pamela tells the story of a fifteen-year-old maidservant named Pamela Andrews, whose employer, Mr. B, a wealthy landowner, makes unwanted and inappropriate advances towards her after the death of his mother. -
Joseph Andrews
The first complete novel by the English author Henry Fielding. It was published in 1742 among the early novels in the English language. It tells of a good-natured footman's adventures on the road home from London with his friend and mentor, the absent-minded parson Abraham Adams.