In Trump’s first 100 days, Jill Lepore turned to 100 classics to survive.
Tag Archives: Modest Proposal
Classics to the Rescue in Dark Times
Swift on Media Sane-Washing
Jonathan Swift would have something to say about how the corporate media continues to sane-wash Donald Trump.
When News Resembles an Onion Headline
A recent case of an American man arrested for parodying a police department elicited a supportive brief from “The Onion.”
Trump’s Modest Proposal
It may be April Fools’ Day, but there are Republicans who are advocating a version of Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal.” For real.
In Praise of Literary Biography
I share a discussion I had with John Stubbs, author of riveting biographies on Swift, Donne, and the cavalier poets.
Imagining the Poor as Breeders
Donald Trump has been using words like “infest” and “breeding” to dehumanize people of color. Swift’s Modest Proposer does the same.
The GOP and Trump’s Modest Proposals
The practice of separating immigrant children from their asylum-seeking parents is reminiscent of the Modest Proposer’s solution.
Reflections on Internet Trolling
Internet trolling is not contributing to discourse but poisoning it.