682 Devouring Posterity:A Modest Proposal,Empire,and Ireland's"Debt of the Nation" PMLA demolish'd,”coffeehouses supply a“sufficient Stock"of writing to sustain the economy and My claim that the new economic criticism government.A Modest Defence's reproductive has the potential to fuse political,cultural, theme,in short,dissolves the "distinction be- and economic analyses is based on Swift's lit- tween sexual pleasure and business"(Mandell eral and metonymic uses of motherhood in 112),suggesting that both biological mothers A Modest Proposal.When his narrator opens and maternal printers provide the income- by calling attention to "Beggars of the Female generating progeny necessary to maintain Sex,followed by three,four,or six children," material and political investment in the he seems to be describing the very real fam- fiscal-military state.The Dublin print indus- ine conditions of the late 1720s(Prose Works try seems to have found this idea appealing in 12:109).As he starts to discuss"a Child,just its efforts to forge Anglo-Irish sovereignty. dropt from its dam"and the prevention of Accordingly,Swift's dialogue with the "voluntary Abortions,"however,he shifts to a British book trade is of central importance figural register familiar to book-trade profes- when reading A Modest Proposal's discourse sionals,especially those who had read Ber- on public finance.Swift was a member of the nard Mandeville's A Modest Defence of Public Scriblerus Club,an informal group of Tory Stews of 1724.Mandeville's defense satirized opposition writers whose satire targeted the ideas for converting vice into new revenues Whig ruling regime.The Scriblerians despised by proposing a prostitution tax,arguing that Robert Walpole,the Whig prime minister,be- 610,000 could be raised by a single public cause they thought his machinations in public brothel(14).The "lewdness"of this project of finance-his establishment of a sinking fund sexual exchange,however,is explained not as to pay off the national debt,his involvement a female sin but as one indulged by prostitute with the South Sea Bubble,and his taxpayer male writers who“want a Dinner'”and hope bailout of major shareholders in the South Sea for the"“Adoption'”of their writings by“bright Company-were signs of corruption incom- Noblemen"(pref.).The narrator nakedly re- patible with virtuous government (Nicholson fers to the manuscript before the reader as a 103).By the late 1720s,Swift's Gulliver's Trav- “Foundling''who was“dropt'”at the reader's els,John Gay's Beggar's Opera,and Alexander door because a legitimate press-"the Midwife Pope's Dunciad had combined to expose Wal- of a Printer'”-“was unwilling to help bring it pole's perversion of the constitution.A letter into the World,but upon that Condition...of from Swift to Gay in March 1728 discusses the my openly Fathering it"(pref.).This series of success of their coordinated attack:"The Beg- double entendres intimates that the printing gers Opera hath knockt down Gulliver,I hope press is the mother of the book and the writer to see Popes Dullness knock down the Beggers its father,invoking the platonic concepts of Opera,but not till it hath fully done its Jobb the“death of the author'”and the“orphaned ..writing two or three Such trifles every year text"that Swift himself had explored in A to expose vice and make people laugh with Tale of a Tub(Barthes 147;Derrida 76;Plato innocency does more publick Service than 523;Swift,Tale 34).A Modest Proposal closely all the Ministers of State from Adam to Wal- mimics A Modest Defence's style to the extent pol"(Swift,Correspondence 278).These satires that it could be interpreted as a response to served as both partisan political critiques and Mandeville's request that the "Hibernian literary commodities in the highly profitable Stallion”should“Speak”(pref).It appears culture wars of those years.It has been argued to appropriate his notion that,even in an that as a collective partisan effort,this circle's era when the South Sea Company "has been writings were not so much damning modern This content downloaded from 202.120.14.172 on Fri,10 Nov 2017 17:56:35 UTC All use subject to http://about jstor.org/terms682 Devouring Posterity: A Modest Proposal, Empire, and Ireland's "Debt of the Nation" PMLA ['] My claim that the new economic criticism has the potential to fuse political, cultural, and economic analyses is based on Swift's lit eral and metonymic uses of motherhood in A Modest Proposal. When his narrator opens by calling attention to "Beggars of the Female Sex, followed by three, four, or six children," he seems to be describing the very real fam ine conditions of the late 1720s (Prose Works 12: 109). As he starts to discuss "a Child, just dr opt from its dam" and the prevention of "voluntary Abortions," however, he shifts to a figural register familiar to book-trade profes sionals, especially those who had read Ber nard Mandeville's A Modest Defence of Public Stews of 1724. Mandeville's defense satirized ideas for converting vice into new revenues by proposing a prostitution tax, arguing that ?10,000 could be raised by a single public brothel (14). The "lewdness" of this project of sexual exchange, however, is explained not as a female sin but as one indulged by prostitute male writers who "want a Dinner" and hope for the "Adoption" of their writings by "bright Noblemen" (pref.). The narrator nakedly re fers to the manuscript before the reader as a "Foundling" who was "dropt" at the reader's door because a legitimate press?"the Midwife of a Printer"?"was unwilling to help bring it into the World, but upon that Condition ... of my openly Fathering it" (pref.). This series of double entendres intimates that the printing press is the mother of the book and the writer its father, invoking the platonic concepts of the "death of the author" and the "orphaned text" that Swift himself had explored in A Tale of a Tub (Barthes 147; Derrida 76; Plato 523; Swift, Tale 34). A Modest Proposal closely mimics A Modest Defences style to the extent that it could be interpreted as a response to Mandeville's request that the "Hibernian Stallion" should "Speak" (pref.). It appears to appropriate his notion that, even in an era when the South Sea Company "has been demolish'd," coffeehouses supply a "sufficient Stock" of writing to sustain the economy and government. A Modest Defences reproductive theme, in short, dissolves the "distinction be tween sexual pleasure and business" (Mandell 112), suggesting that both biological mothers and maternal printers provide the income generating progeny necessary to maintain material and political investment in the fiscal-military state. The Dublin print indus try seems to have found this idea appealing in its efforts to forge Anglo-Irish sovereignty. Accordingly, Swift's dialogue with the British book trade is of central importance when reading A Modest Proposal's discourse on public finance. Swift was a member of the Scriblerus Club, an informal group of Tory opposition writers whose satire targeted the Whig ruling regime. The Scriblerians despised Robert Walpole, the Whig prime minister, be cause they thought his machinations in public finance?his establishment of a sinking fund to pay off the national debt, his involvement with the South Sea Bubble, and his taxpayer bailout of major shareholders in the South Sea Company?were signs of corruption incom patible with virtuous government (Nicholson 103). By the late 1720s, Swift's Gullivers Trav els, John Gay's Beggars Opera, and Alexander Pope's Dunciad had combined to expose Wal pole's perversion of the constitution. A letter from Swift to Gay in March 1728 discusses the success of their coordinated attack: "The Beg gers Opera hath knockt down Gulliver, I hope to see Popes Dullness knock down the Beggers Opera, but not till it hath fully done its Jobb ... writing two or three Such trifles every year to expose vice and make people laugh with innocency does more publick Service than all the Ministers of State from Adam to Wal pol" (Swift, Correspondence 278). These satires served as both partisan political critiques and literary commodities in the highly profitable culture wars of those years. It has been argued that as a collective partisan effort, this circle's writings were not so much damning modern This content downloaded from 202.120.14.172 on Fri, 10 Nov 2017 17:56:35 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms