Memoirs of the Extraordinary Life, Works, and Discoveries of Martinus Scriblerus

The "Scriblerians," as they were called, were a group of writers/friends in 18th Century England who congregated periodically and wrote texts together making fun of their contemporaries. Their first work together was this small book-- "The Memoires of Martinus Scriblerus" ... etc., "Scriblerus" for short. Among these writers were two very famous individuals: Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. Both Pope and Swift were somewhat misanthropic in their writings, and believed that if one could not write well, one should not write at all. Scriblerus is basically a joint effort of these men in an attempt to ridicule other writers of the age, but much like other Scriblerian satires (Gulliver's Travels, Peri Bathous, etc.) Scriblerus attacks others as well; no one appears to be safe from the viciousness of Swift and Pope (these two being the more dominant personalities). When reading the book, see if you can guess who is writing what-- it is surprisingly difficult to differentiate the voices, if there are any differentiations at all. Then again, Swift and Pope are masters of satire and genius writers to boot. Before attempting more difficult works such as Tale of a Tub and Tristram Shandy, pick up this thin volume and enjoy the flavor of Pope's prose.