A Description of the Morning
Encyclopedia
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
poet Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
, written in 1709. The poem discusses contemporary topics, including the social state of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the time of the writing, as well as the developing of commerce and business in the area, and the effect the latter had on the common people
Common People
"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp. It was released as a single in 1995, reaching number two on the UK singles chart. It also appears on the band's 1995 album Different Class. The song is about those who were perceived by the songwriter as wanting to be "like common...
and common lifestyle in England. Others have also referred to the text as an early example of the oxymoronic "town eclogue," or "urban georgic". It was first published in October 1710
1710 in literature
The year 1710 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*After Thomas Betterton's death in April, the great Shakespearean roles he had dominated for a generation were divided up among fellow actors Barton Booth, Robert Wilks, and John Mills...
, in the British magazine the Tatler, which was first printed in the same year of the poem's creation.
Following the poem's publication in the Tatler, Swift became an occasional contributor to the content of the magazine, often submitting portions of his work. This collaboration has resulted in Swift's labeling as one of the magazine's more prominent contributors. The subsequent poem by Swift published in the magazine, which was related to "A Description of the Morning" and was entitled "A Description of a City Shower
A Description of a City Shower
"A Description of a City Shower" is a 1710 poem by Anglo-Irish poet Jonathan Swift. First appearing in the Tatler magazine in October of that same year, the poem was considered his best poem. Swift agreed: "They think 'tis the best thing I ever writ, and I think so too"...
", covers similar topic matter, discussing the artificiality of life in the city and that existence. It has been described by critics, readers, and even Swift himself as the best poem that he ever wrote: "They think 'tis the best thing I ever writ, and I think so too".
Four Times of the Day
Four Times of the Day is a series of four paintings by English artist William Hogarth. Completed in 1736, they were reproduced as a series of four engravings published in 1738. They are humorous depictions of life in the streets of London, the vagaries of fashion, and the interactions between the...
, among other works and texts, such as John Gay
John Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
's "Trivia
Trivia (poem)
Trivia is a poem by John Gay. The full title of the poem is Trivia, or The Art of Walking the Streets of London, and it takes its name from the "goddess of crossroads", Trivia....
", as well as Swift's own "A Description of a City Shower
A Description of a City Shower
"A Description of a City Shower" is a 1710 poem by Anglo-Irish poet Jonathan Swift. First appearing in the Tatler magazine in October of that same year, the poem was considered his best poem. Swift agreed: "They think 'tis the best thing I ever writ, and I think so too"...
".