684 Devouring Posterity:A Modest Proposal,Empire,and Ireland's"Debt of the Nation' PMLA press"and his leading author,Eliza Hay- Though Swift did not agree with these absolut- wood (lines 1-44).This goddess of printing ist theories(Higgins 8),he felt that the Whig continuously gave birth to bastard offspring: regime's attempts to disregard the prerogatives "Dulness's procreative abilities symbolically of the Irish legislature were tantamount to tyr- give her the power of physical and cultural re- anny (Lock 152n33).Indeed,Swift understood production and illustrate the ease with which the importance of cultural production to the texts are conceived and materially repro- state because he had served as what Victoria duced in the Grub Street environment...she Glendinning has called a“spin doctor'”for the spawns dunces,genres,and texts that she can previous Tory administration (101). mold in her image"(Ingrassia 50).This press, Swift's Proposal for the Universal Use of however,was anything but chaste;the soft Irish Manufacture,published in 1720 after the pornography produced by it,in Pope's view, Declaratory Act threatened to grant the Brit- encouraged licentiousness and caused men to ish Crown the right to appropriate Ireland's "neglect their real duties to govern"(Ingrassia revenues without the consent of Ireland's par- 53).The poem's argument is most evident in liament,began to mobilize the Anglo-Irish the line,“The Goddess bade Britannia sleep” appropriation of these homologies in a bid for (Pope,line 7),which implies that Whig cul- colonial sovereignty.This work exploited both tural production was distracting the citizenry that"the press was introduced into Ireland from its obligation to oversee public policy. specifically as an instrument of propaganda Pope's modeling of the press's role in to win the natives over to Protestantism"and the reproduction of the regime and of capi- that monopoly licensing was practiced,which tal partakes of an ancient discourse binding made the king's printer "responsible to the gov- what Jean-Joseph Goux has described as the ernment for preventing the publication of sedi- “isomorphic'”unity of currency,.language, tious matter"(Pollard 9-11,31).The lapsing of and law in the image of the state(45).By the the Licensing Act in 1695 and Ireland's failure eighteenth century,the most influential early to enact the 1709 Copyright Act,however,cre- modern theory of these homologies had been ated the less regulated conditions for produc- asserted by Jean Bodin (1530-96),who "es- tion in which writers like Swift could begin to tablished as an educated opinion that a ruler reverse this"cultural imperialism"(Said xxi). should insist on a uniform monetary system The pamphlet's call for a boycott of imports for his own benefit and for the benefit of his constructs Anglo-Irish patriotism through a subjects"(Latouche 127-50).The develop- strategy of Atlantic triangulation,complaining ment and maintenance of this process of that the British "look down upon this King- standardizing value required censorship,the dom,as if it had been one of their Colonies hiring of pens to produce favorable public of Out-casts in America"(Prose Works 9:21). opinion,and the suppression of counterfeit- Swift champions economic patriotism,laud- ers-prerogatives of sovereignty to which all ing Irish textiles and insisting that "Ireland political theorists subscribed.Without these would never be happy'till a Law were made for powers,Thomas Hobbes asserted,the rule of burning every Thing that came from England, law would collapse,destroying the transpar- except their People and their Coals"(9:17).As ency and growth of economic and linguistic Helen Burke has observed,however,his insis- exchange:"In such a condition,there is no tence that the Anglo-Irish should "improve the place for Industry;because the fruit thereof is Cloaths and Stuffs of the Nation"(9:17)was a uncertain:and consequently no Culture...no textile metaphor advocating domestic literary Knowledge of the face of the Earth;no account production and the burning of books pub- of Time;no Arts;no Letters;no Society"(186). lished in London(57).This motive is evident 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/terms684 Devouring Posterity: A Modest Proposal, Empire, and Ireland's "Debt of the Nation" PMLA press" and his leading author, Eliza Hay wood (lines 1-44). This goddess of printing continuously gave birth to bastard offspring: "Dulness's procreative abilities symbolically give her the power of physical and cultural re production and illustrate the ease with which texts are conceived and materially repro duced in the Grub Street environment... she spawns dunces, genres, and texts that she can mold in her image" (Ingrassia 50). This press, however, was anything but chaste; the soft pornography produced by it, in Pope's view, encouraged licentiousness and caused men to "neglect their real duties to govern" (Ingrassia 53). The poem's argument is most evident in the line, "The Goddess bade Britannia sleep" (Pope, line 7), which implies that Whig cul tural production was distracting the citizenry from its obligation to oversee public policy. Pope's modeling of the press's role in the reproduction of the regime and of capi tal partakes of an ancient discourse binding what Jean-Joseph Goux has described as the "isomorphic" unity of currency, language, and law in the image of the state (45). By the eighteenth century, the most influential early modern theory of these homologies had been asserted by Jean Bodin (1530-96), who "es tablished as an educated opinion that a ruler should insist on a uniform monetary system for his own benefit and for the benefit of his subjects" (Latouche 127-50). The develop ment and maintenance of this process of standardizing value required censorship, the hiring of pens to produce favorable public opinion, and the suppression of counterfeit ers?prerogatives of sovereignty to which all political theorists subscribed. Without these powers, Thomas Hobbes asserted, the rule of law would collapse, destroying the transpar ency and growth of economic and linguistic exchange: "In such a condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture ... no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society" (186). Though Swift did not agree with these absolut ist theories (Higgins 8), he felt that the Whig regime's attempts to disregard the prerogatives ofthe Irish legislature were tantamount to tyr anny (Lock 152n33). Indeed, Swift understood the importance of cultural production to the state because he had served as what Victoria Glendinning has called a "spin doctor" for the previous Tory administration (101). Swift's Proposal for the Universal Use of Irish Manufacture, published in 1720 after the Declaratory Act threatened to grant the Brit ish Crown the right to appropriate Ireland's revenues without the consent of Ireland's par liament, began to mobilize the Anglo-Irish appropriation of these homologies in a bid for colonial sovereignty. This work exploited both that "the press was introduced into Ireland specifically as an instrument of propaganda to win the natives over to Protestantism" and that monopoly licensing was practiced, which made the king's printer "responsible to the gov ernment for preventing the publication of sedi tious matter" (Pollard 9-11, 31). The lapsing of the Licensing Act in 1695 and Ireland's failure to enact the 1709 Copyright Act, however, cre ated the less regulated conditions for produc tion in which writers like Swift could begin to reverse this "cultural imperialism" (Said xxi). The pamphlet's call for a boycott of imports constructs Anglo-Irish patriotism through a strategy of Atlantic triangulation, complaining that the British "look down upon this King dom, as if it had been one of their Colonies of Out-casts in America" (Prose Works 9: 21). Swift champions economic patriotism, laud ing Irish textiles and insisting that "Ireland would never be happy 'till a Law were made for burning every Thing that came from England, except their People and their Coals" (9: 17). As Helen Burke has observed, however, his insis tence that the Anglo-Irish should "improve the Cloaths and Stuffs ofthe Nation" (9: 17) was a textile metaphor advocating domestic literary production and the burning of books pub lished in London (57). This motive is evident 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