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The Lady's Dressing Room
Note: The University of Adelaide Library eBooks @ Adelaide.
7 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2009
87 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Swift
5,026 books2,164 followersJonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, hence his common sobriquet, "Dean Swift".
Swift is remembered for works such as A Tale of a Tub (1704), An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity (1712), Gulliver's Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal (1729). He is regarded by the Encyclopædia Britannica as the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier—or anonymously. He was a master of two styles of satire, the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.
His deadpan, ironic writing style, particularly in A Modest Proposal, has led to such satire being subsequently termed "Swiftian".
Swift is remembered for works such as A Tale of a Tub (1704), An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity (1712), Gulliver's Travels (1726), and A Modest Proposal (1729). He is regarded by the Encyclopædia Britannica as the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier—or anonymously. He was a master of two styles of satire, the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.
His deadpan, ironic writing style, particularly in A Modest Proposal, has led to such satire being subsequently termed "Swiftian".
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 7, 2017
Jonathan Swift, deconstructing posers since the 1600s. Absolutely loved the satire. Although it could be interpreted as rather misogynistic for some reasons, I like to think that this poem is criticising both men and women; a society based on fake and deceiving appearance which prompts itself to keep it that way. Sounds as if it was depicting our very own reality these days.
January 11, 2024
punishment deserved methinks
October 20, 2012
The Lady's Dressing Room is a scatological orgy. It is obscene to a surprising degree, but in a little boy prurient manner. Mozart would have laughed.
February 6, 2025
i hate men <3
April 23, 2018
Jonathan Swift “The Lady’s Dressing Room” a satire that presents women as purely artificial, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s direct response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room,” both offer a close examination of gender and social view within 18th century upper-class society. Swift’s poem symbolizes anti-feminist literature invading every woman’s privacy. Thus, Montagu felt the necessity to support her gender by displaying a well-written retraction against the poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room.”
I would recommend those poems not just for English majors, but also for the public who can enjoy reading these texts for entertainment. Moreover, both satires are so successful in making the reader viscerally feel the images of the poem through exaggeration: after reading the poems, you would not want to go inside of Celia’s dressing room or witness the inability of Dr. Swift to perform sexually. The poems have a natural flow, and their organization and structure make them easy to read and get the idea very quickly.
“The Lady’s Room” poem was published in 1732 when 18th-century society had strict expectations of women. The narrator looks through the eyes of the Strephon, the protagonist who decides to sneak into a woman’s room when it is unoccupied by Celia and her employee Betty; Strephon does not miss the opportunity to inspect Celia’s private space. The narrator starts the poem with irony in the first stanza, “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)” (1). In this quote, Swift criticizes a woman’s beauty routine asking to himself why do women have to spend much time getting ready? This, of course, reminds us of the present day when men always complain about women taking too long and making them wait while getting ready. However, during this period of the 18th-century, pretense were normal; women were held in high expectations for how they looked. Women had to look perfect regarding to makeup, hairstyle, and clothing. As the poem progress, Strephon explores the room but encounter just objects that repulse him. He remarks on things such as “dirty Smock,” and he reveals that Celia’s combs are so dirty that no brush could clean it. Strephon goes inside Celia’s dressing room only to find odorous belongings and confirms that women smell very bad in reality and use products to hide the smell to get attention. When Strephon looks what inside Celia’s chest, the “Pandora Box,” that contained the evils things, and discovers: “The Vapours flew from out the Vent […] And foul his Hands in Search of Hope.” (91) His horrifies reaction is shown when Swift emphasizes, “she better learn to keep Those secrets of the hoary deep!” (98). Strephon is scandalized and scarred by what he discovers during his exploration in Celia’s room that he cannot see enchantment in Celia or other women because Strephon is only going to think of all the disgusting things he sees in Celia’s dressing room.
Swift’s poem indicates how literature can take private matters into the public sphere, and in this case, one that relates directly to women. Swift takes one of the most feminine spaces, (a woman’s dressing room) and uses it to display an unpleasant picture of the women. The speaker’s tone judge Celia and highlights negative details suggesting that women are as not perfect and angelic as they appear to be.
This poem provokes Lady Mary Montagu’s satirical response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room.” Montagu replies why Swift is irritated enough to write his poem. When Dr. Swift attempts to have sex with a prostituted name Betty, Montagu states:
The reverend lover with surprise
Peeps in her bubbies, and her eyes,
And kisses both, and tries---and tries.
The evening in this hellish play,
Besides his guineas thrown away,
Provoked the priest to that degree
He sword, The fault is not in me.
Swift pays for the companionship of a female, and the results are calamitous. As the poet cannot go through with it due to his sexual failures, he asks for his money back, and the prostitute refuses to give the money in return. Montagu’s tone is bitter. She attacks Swift’s sexual performance suggesting that he is sexually frustrated; her poem reveals that Swift’s poem degrades all women. Therefore, Montagu presents her feminist opinion throughout the poem as a kind of defense to all women.
I believe Swift and Montagu are examples of well-balanced and outstanding critical writing on social perceptions regarding to gender from the 18th-century.
I would recommend those poems not just for English majors, but also for the public who can enjoy reading these texts for entertainment. Moreover, both satires are so successful in making the reader viscerally feel the images of the poem through exaggeration: after reading the poems, you would not want to go inside of Celia’s dressing room or witness the inability of Dr. Swift to perform sexually. The poems have a natural flow, and their organization and structure make them easy to read and get the idea very quickly.
“The Lady’s Room” poem was published in 1732 when 18th-century society had strict expectations of women. The narrator looks through the eyes of the Strephon, the protagonist who decides to sneak into a woman’s room when it is unoccupied by Celia and her employee Betty; Strephon does not miss the opportunity to inspect Celia’s private space. The narrator starts the poem with irony in the first stanza, “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)” (1). In this quote, Swift criticizes a woman’s beauty routine asking to himself why do women have to spend much time getting ready? This, of course, reminds us of the present day when men always complain about women taking too long and making them wait while getting ready. However, during this period of the 18th-century, pretense were normal; women were held in high expectations for how they looked. Women had to look perfect regarding to makeup, hairstyle, and clothing. As the poem progress, Strephon explores the room but encounter just objects that repulse him. He remarks on things such as “dirty Smock,” and he reveals that Celia’s combs are so dirty that no brush could clean it. Strephon goes inside Celia’s dressing room only to find odorous belongings and confirms that women smell very bad in reality and use products to hide the smell to get attention. When Strephon looks what inside Celia’s chest, the “Pandora Box,” that contained the evils things, and discovers: “The Vapours flew from out the Vent […] And foul his Hands in Search of Hope.” (91) His horrifies reaction is shown when Swift emphasizes, “she better learn to keep Those secrets of the hoary deep!” (98). Strephon is scandalized and scarred by what he discovers during his exploration in Celia’s room that he cannot see enchantment in Celia or other women because Strephon is only going to think of all the disgusting things he sees in Celia’s dressing room.
Swift’s poem indicates how literature can take private matters into the public sphere, and in this case, one that relates directly to women. Swift takes one of the most feminine spaces, (a woman’s dressing room) and uses it to display an unpleasant picture of the women. The speaker’s tone judge Celia and highlights negative details suggesting that women are as not perfect and angelic as they appear to be.
This poem provokes Lady Mary Montagu’s satirical response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room.” Montagu replies why Swift is irritated enough to write his poem. When Dr. Swift attempts to have sex with a prostituted name Betty, Montagu states:
The reverend lover with surprise
Peeps in her bubbies, and her eyes,
And kisses both, and tries---and tries.
The evening in this hellish play,
Besides his guineas thrown away,
Provoked the priest to that degree
He sword, The fault is not in me.
Swift pays for the companionship of a female, and the results are calamitous. As the poet cannot go through with it due to his sexual failures, he asks for his money back, and the prostitute refuses to give the money in return. Montagu’s tone is bitter. She attacks Swift’s sexual performance suggesting that he is sexually frustrated; her poem reveals that Swift’s poem degrades all women. Therefore, Montagu presents her feminist opinion throughout the poem as a kind of defense to all women.
I believe Swift and Montagu are examples of well-balanced and outstanding critical writing on social perceptions regarding to gender from the 18th-century.
September 20, 2020
This was honestly a hilarious poem about the disgusting things a woman leaves behind in her dressing room after getting ready to show her best self to the public.
I loved the nasty language and unflinching eye that Swift gave to Strephon as he examined all the indecencies left behind by his mistress.
*read for Brit Lit college course
I loved the nasty language and unflinching eye that Swift gave to Strephon as he examined all the indecencies left behind by his mistress.
*read for Brit Lit college course
February 1, 2024
Pure intellectual misogyny. Real straight men don't notice this. When they fall in love, they only notice beauty, or imagine if the object doesn't have any.
April 23, 2018
Jonathan Swift “The Lady’s Dressing Room” a satire that presents women as purely artificial, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s direct response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room,” both offer a close examination of gender and social view within 18th century upper-class society. Swift’s poem symbolizes anti-feminist literature invading every woman’s privacy. Thus, Montagu felt the necessity to support her gender by displaying a well-written retraction against the poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room.”
I would recommend those poems not just for English majors, but also for the public who can enjoy reading these texts for entertainment. Moreover, both satires are so successful in making the reader viscerally feel the images of the poem through exaggeration: after reading the poems, you would not want to go inside of Celia’s dressing room or witness the inability of Dr. Swift to perform sexually. The poems have a natural flow, and their organization and structure make them easy to read and get the idea very quickly.
“The Lady’s Room” poem was published in 1732 when 18th-century society had strict expectations of women. The narrator looks through the eyes of the Strephon, the protagonist who decides to sneak into a woman’s room when it is unoccupied by Celia and her employee Betty; Strephon does not miss the opportunity to inspect Celia’s private space. The narrator starts the poem with irony in the first stanza, “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)” (1). In this quote, Swift criticizes a woman’s beauty routine asking to himself why do women have to spend much time getting ready? This, of course, reminds us of the present day when men always complain about women taking too long and making them wait while getting ready. However, during this period of the 18th-century, pretense were normal; women were held in high expectations for how they looked. Women had to look perfect regarding to makeup, hairstyle, and clothing. As the poem progress, Strephon explores the room but encounter just objects that repulse him. He remarks on things such as “dirty Smock,” and he reveals that Celia’s combs are so dirty that no brush could clean it. Strephon goes inside Celia’s dressing room only to find odorous belongings and confirms that women smell very bad in reality and use products to hide the smell to get attention. When Strephon looks what inside Celia’s chest, the “Pandora Box,” that contained the evils things, and discovers: “The Vapours flew from out the Vent […] And foul his Hands in Search of Hope.” (91) His horrifies reaction is shown when Swift emphasizes, “she better learn to keep Those secrets of the hoary deep!” (98). Strephon is scandalized and scarred by what he discovers during his exploration in Celia’s room that he cannot see enchantment in Celia or other women because Strephon is only going to think of all the disgusting things he sees in Celia’s dressing room.
Swift’s poem indicates how literature can take private matters into the public sphere, and in this case, one that relates directly to women. Swift takes one of the most feminine spaces, (a woman’s dressing room) and uses it to display an unpleasant picture of the women. The speaker’s tone judge Celia and highlights negative details suggesting that women are as not perfect and angelic as they appear to be.
This poem provokes Lady Mary Montagu’s satirical response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room.” Montagu replies why Swift is irritated enough to write his poem. When Dr. Swift attempts to have sex with a prostituted name Betty, Montagu states:
The reverend lover with surprise
Peeps in her bubbies, and her eyes,
And kisses both, and tries---and tries.
The evening in this hellish play,
Besides his guineas thrown away,
Provoked the priest to that degree
He sword, The fault is not in me.
Swift pays for the companionship of a female, and the results are calamitous. As the poet cannot go through with it due to his sexual failures, he asks for his money back, and the prostitute refuses to give the money in return. Montagu’s tone is bitter. She attacks Swift’s sexual performance suggesting that he is sexually frustrated; her poem reveals that Swift’s poem degrades all women. Therefore, Montagu presents her feminist opinion throughout the poem as a kind of defense to all women.
I believe Swift and Montagu are examples of well-balanced and outstanding critical writing on social perceptions regarding to gender from the 18th-century.
I would recommend those poems not just for English majors, but also for the public who can enjoy reading these texts for entertainment. Moreover, both satires are so successful in making the reader viscerally feel the images of the poem through exaggeration: after reading the poems, you would not want to go inside of Celia’s dressing room or witness the inability of Dr. Swift to perform sexually. The poems have a natural flow, and their organization and structure make them easy to read and get the idea very quickly.
“The Lady’s Room” poem was published in 1732 when 18th-century society had strict expectations of women. The narrator looks through the eyes of the Strephon, the protagonist who decides to sneak into a woman’s room when it is unoccupied by Celia and her employee Betty; Strephon does not miss the opportunity to inspect Celia’s private space. The narrator starts the poem with irony in the first stanza, “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)” (1). In this quote, Swift criticizes a woman’s beauty routine asking to himself why do women have to spend much time getting ready? This, of course, reminds us of the present day when men always complain about women taking too long and making them wait while getting ready. However, during this period of the 18th-century, pretense were normal; women were held in high expectations for how they looked. Women had to look perfect regarding to makeup, hairstyle, and clothing. As the poem progress, Strephon explores the room but encounter just objects that repulse him. He remarks on things such as “dirty Smock,” and he reveals that Celia’s combs are so dirty that no brush could clean it. Strephon goes inside Celia’s dressing room only to find odorous belongings and confirms that women smell very bad in reality and use products to hide the smell to get attention. When Strephon looks what inside Celia’s chest, the “Pandora Box,” that contained the evils things, and discovers: “The Vapours flew from out the Vent […] And foul his Hands in Search of Hope.” (91) His horrifies reaction is shown when Swift emphasizes, “she better learn to keep Those secrets of the hoary deep!” (98). Strephon is scandalized and scarred by what he discovers during his exploration in Celia’s room that he cannot see enchantment in Celia or other women because Strephon is only going to think of all the disgusting things he sees in Celia’s dressing room.
Swift’s poem indicates how literature can take private matters into the public sphere, and in this case, one that relates directly to women. Swift takes one of the most feminine spaces, (a woman’s dressing room) and uses it to display an unpleasant picture of the women. The speaker’s tone judge Celia and highlights negative details suggesting that women are as not perfect and angelic as they appear to be.
This poem provokes Lady Mary Montagu’s satirical response, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem called “The Lady’s Dressing Room.” Montagu replies why Swift is irritated enough to write his poem. When Dr. Swift attempts to have sex with a prostituted name Betty, Montagu states:
The reverend lover with surprise
Peeps in her bubbies, and her eyes,
And kisses both, and tries---and tries.
The evening in this hellish play,
Besides his guineas thrown away,
Provoked the priest to that degree
He sword, The fault is not in me.
Swift pays for the companionship of a female, and the results are calamitous. As the poet cannot go through with it due to his sexual failures, he asks for his money back, and the prostitute refuses to give the money in return. Montagu’s tone is bitter. She attacks Swift’s sexual performance suggesting that he is sexually frustrated; her poem reveals that Swift’s poem degrades all women. Therefore, Montagu presents her feminist opinion throughout the poem as a kind of defense to all women.
I believe Swift and Montagu are examples of well-balanced and outstanding critical writing on social perceptions regarding to gender from the 18th-century.
April 23, 2018
Jonathan Swift The Lady’s Dressing Room 1732
Amusing, funny, and enjoyable yet captivating, even though everyone knows women are known for being beautiful inside and out. Imagine a beautiful woman her hair color bright as sunlight shimmering as it glows with every move. High cheekbones calling attention to your eyes. Jonathan Swift’s “The Lady’s Dressing Room” expresses mockery of women making his way through a dressing room discovering how horrible, filthy and grotesque females are reinforcing the idea of what women look like outside of makeup and fancy clothing. Most of me makes me wonder if he was blind, and the other part makes me question if he knew what he was doing.
Swift’s detailed depiction of women offers an inside look to the diary he kept in his head. He saw the idea of a woman disguising herself with things that were non existent to him. Of course after witnessing the long boring hours of the beauty process, he is disgusted with what the products are doing for her using unflattering, yet hilarious descriptions. “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)/By haughty Celia spent in Dressing;/The Goddess from her Chamber issues,/Array’d in Lace, Brocades and Tissues” (1-4). This was the attitude of men at this time. Men grew so attached to women due to their “perfect” image. Even now we have men, behave and treat women as goddesses because they were hit by qupid. Well it sounds like that arrow hit the wrong spot! Swift needs to wake up and wipe the makeup off before judging women who we think represent a perfect image.
Strephon's curiosity about the contents of Celia's dressing room causes him to open the door, and examine all the details of the room, saying, “Sweat, Dandriff,Powder,Lead and Hair;/A Forehead Cloth with Oyl upon’t/To smooth the Wrinkles on her Front……..” (24-26). Strephon is surprised that he overlooked the beauty and life growing from this filth and excrement in Celia's beauty, relating to women with the dressing room odors. This produced the desire in Strephon’s heart to discern the process behind Celia's beauty and chooses not to leave this process a mystery, but continue unraveling the hidden truth of this woman.
Women are as flawed as men, we are so infatuated with the physical that we blind ourselves from looking at the persona qualities of an individual. Then we begin to write love letters and write diaries in our heads. When the truth is revealed at times, we are disgusted with what lies beneath internally and in most cases externally. It is like going to a club and dancing with someone and until the lights turn on, you get to see who was the person with those awesome dance moves that kept you going. Come on! It is 2018! It is time we begin to fall in love for who a person really is, despite the physical attraction that they bring. No… I am not saying not to be choosy, choices are personal. I am saying to be choosy… you know, with purpose. It can save you from terrifying heart attack or in fact heartbreak. No, literally. Women are not ugly, Swift just has to think about his choices and his pleasures. Happy Reading!
Amusing, funny, and enjoyable yet captivating, even though everyone knows women are known for being beautiful inside and out. Imagine a beautiful woman her hair color bright as sunlight shimmering as it glows with every move. High cheekbones calling attention to your eyes. Jonathan Swift’s “The Lady’s Dressing Room” expresses mockery of women making his way through a dressing room discovering how horrible, filthy and grotesque females are reinforcing the idea of what women look like outside of makeup and fancy clothing. Most of me makes me wonder if he was blind, and the other part makes me question if he knew what he was doing.
Swift’s detailed depiction of women offers an inside look to the diary he kept in his head. He saw the idea of a woman disguising herself with things that were non existent to him. Of course after witnessing the long boring hours of the beauty process, he is disgusted with what the products are doing for her using unflattering, yet hilarious descriptions. “Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)/By haughty Celia spent in Dressing;/The Goddess from her Chamber issues,/Array’d in Lace, Brocades and Tissues” (1-4). This was the attitude of men at this time. Men grew so attached to women due to their “perfect” image. Even now we have men, behave and treat women as goddesses because they were hit by qupid. Well it sounds like that arrow hit the wrong spot! Swift needs to wake up and wipe the makeup off before judging women who we think represent a perfect image.
Strephon's curiosity about the contents of Celia's dressing room causes him to open the door, and examine all the details of the room, saying, “Sweat, Dandriff,Powder,Lead and Hair;/A Forehead Cloth with Oyl upon’t/To smooth the Wrinkles on her Front……..” (24-26). Strephon is surprised that he overlooked the beauty and life growing from this filth and excrement in Celia's beauty, relating to women with the dressing room odors. This produced the desire in Strephon’s heart to discern the process behind Celia's beauty and chooses not to leave this process a mystery, but continue unraveling the hidden truth of this woman.
Women are as flawed as men, we are so infatuated with the physical that we blind ourselves from looking at the persona qualities of an individual. Then we begin to write love letters and write diaries in our heads. When the truth is revealed at times, we are disgusted with what lies beneath internally and in most cases externally. It is like going to a club and dancing with someone and until the lights turn on, you get to see who was the person with those awesome dance moves that kept you going. Come on! It is 2018! It is time we begin to fall in love for who a person really is, despite the physical attraction that they bring. No… I am not saying not to be choosy, choices are personal. I am saying to be choosy… you know, with purpose. It can save you from terrifying heart attack or in fact heartbreak. No, literally. Women are not ugly, Swift just has to think about his choices and his pleasures. Happy Reading!
April 23, 2018
The Lady's Dressing Room
In the Poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room” by Jonathan Swift, Swift takes a stab jab at women and their beauty process before presenting themselves to the world. Swift represents the overly masculine or toxic masculinity of men in the 18th century, and how his point of view still exists today. Swift uses his narration through the eyes of Strephon. Strephon waits upon his love Celia to get ready and can no longer hold on to his patience and proceeds into the dressing room. Swift immediately throws his first jab at women and their preparation in his opening line “Five hours, (and who can do it less in?) By haughty Celia spent in dressing”. In the opening line he already demonstrates his sarcastic and almost condescending remark by asking “and who can do it less in?” and immediately goes into the use of negative vocabulary by calling his love “haughty” rather than admiring her once she comes out of the dressing room all dolled up. Swift continues digging and ripping apart A list of woman’s items in their routine prior to going out with a very grotesque and detailed description on what Strephon’s eyes stumble across, he does so in complete disgust. “An Inventory follows here. And first a dirty smock appeared, beneath the armpits well besmeared…. A paste of composition rare, sweat, dandruff, powder, lead and hair”. The poem continues to go on and on with revelations to the clearly oblivious Strephon (and for what it’s worth oblivious the clearly oblivious author Jonathan Swift) about how women got ready during the 18th century. Although Swift and his main character are clearly oblivious to how women got dolled up, the poem really is in my mind a must read, for people of all audiences and background and is extremely pertinent to todays shift in society “The Lady’s Dressing Room” although written in the 18th century and exemplifies how men perceived to women to be physically and how women should be (perfect and lady-like at all times) at that time. Those expectations still exist today and the feminist movement could point to this poem as a reference point.
In the Poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room” by Jonathan Swift, Swift takes a stab jab at women and their beauty process before presenting themselves to the world. Swift represents the overly masculine or toxic masculinity of men in the 18th century, and how his point of view still exists today. Swift uses his narration through the eyes of Strephon. Strephon waits upon his love Celia to get ready and can no longer hold on to his patience and proceeds into the dressing room. Swift immediately throws his first jab at women and their preparation in his opening line “Five hours, (and who can do it less in?) By haughty Celia spent in dressing”. In the opening line he already demonstrates his sarcastic and almost condescending remark by asking “and who can do it less in?” and immediately goes into the use of negative vocabulary by calling his love “haughty” rather than admiring her once she comes out of the dressing room all dolled up. Swift continues digging and ripping apart A list of woman’s items in their routine prior to going out with a very grotesque and detailed description on what Strephon’s eyes stumble across, he does so in complete disgust. “An Inventory follows here. And first a dirty smock appeared, beneath the armpits well besmeared…. A paste of composition rare, sweat, dandruff, powder, lead and hair”. The poem continues to go on and on with revelations to the clearly oblivious Strephon (and for what it’s worth oblivious the clearly oblivious author Jonathan Swift) about how women got ready during the 18th century. Although Swift and his main character are clearly oblivious to how women got dolled up, the poem really is in my mind a must read, for people of all audiences and background and is extremely pertinent to todays shift in society “The Lady’s Dressing Room” although written in the 18th century and exemplifies how men perceived to women to be physically and how women should be (perfect and lady-like at all times) at that time. Those expectations still exist today and the feminist movement could point to this poem as a reference point.
April 30, 2018
Jonathan Swift's poem is a must read literary work. This poem takes the reader through an exceedingly funny, ironic, and sarcastic point of view about women beauty through the eyes of a man. In this poem the main character is Strephon who is dating Celia. He is waiting for her to get ready because apparently, they are going out. While he is waiting he goes through her things and when he sees all that is in her room he dislikes it, complaining about all the things women do to look beautiful. "The Lady's Dressing Room" by Swift is a poem I would recommend people to read because of the dark sense of humor and ironically sarcastic view the author points about women. I find this poem to be hilarious not only because of all of the ways Strephon refers to women and their manner but because of the language in the poem itself. For example, when Strephon says “Thus finishing his grand Survey, /Disgusted Strephon stole away/ Repeating in his amorous Fits/ Oh! Celia, Celia, Celia Shits!" (115-118). Here Strephon is done looking around Celia’s room. I pinpoint this part specifically because Strephon uses the words "Celia Shit” to describe his disgust and it’s funny because in no poem a person would read the word “Shits” which give the poem a comical sense and the tone in this part reflects how pissed he is which makes the poem funnier. But at the same time it’s ironic because then the author writes, “By vicious Fancy coupled fast/ And still appearing in Contrast./ I pity wretched Strephon blind/ to all the Charms of Female Kind” (127-130). This part is ironic because even though Strephon knows all the things women do to look fantastic in the men eyes he still finds women delightful. Yet, as a whole the poem itself is sarcastic. Everything about it makes fun of women process of beauty. The way the author refers to women, the way he made his character be disgusted of women and detailing with his eyes everything there is in a Lady’s room with scornful eyes and the language used to describe the feelings repulse but at the same time still feeling amazed by women beauty is surprising. As an overall, despite of the way women are portrayed in the poem I do recommend it because anyways it’s funny to read.
April 24, 2018
"The Lady's Dressing Room" by Jonathan Swift is definitely a hilarious poem in the perspective of a young man. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu wrote a poem called The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to write a Poem called "The Lady's Dressing Room" in 1732 in response to his criticisms of women. Swift's writing perfectly portrays a snobbish gentleman (Stephron) looking down on the personal belongings of a lady (Celia). Like many individuals of the male gender, the main character, Stephron, does not seem to understand that women like Celia are regular human beings as well. He seems to think that women should be glowing, magical unicorns just like men today. Swift writes, "By haughty Celia spent in dressing; / The goddess from her chamber issues" (2-3). Stephron must consider Celia beautiful because of the use of the word "goddess." This touches on the sexual objectification of women and how disappointed men get when they realize that women do not exist to serve them. I love the way Swift uses imagery to portray disgust towards the lady subject, who seems to have mesmerized the narrator before he stumbled upon her dressing room. In lines 39-46, Swift writes:
The basin takes whatever comes
The scrapings of her teeth and gums,
A nasty compound of all hues,
For here she spits, and here she spews.
But oh! it turned poor Strephon’s bowels,
When he beheld and smelled the towels,
Begummed, bemattered, and beslimed
With dirt, and sweat, and earwax grimed.
Here, the narrator describes a basin that people back then probably used to wash their face and mouth. This goes to show that not many men are aware that women perform natural bodily functions such as urinating, defecating or passing gas. I'm not sure if Swift was aware of feminist critical theory, but this seemed to be written in the form of a satire. It shows a man curious about a lady's dressing room, only to find that women are just like men.
Montagu claims that Swift wrote this poem because he resented a woman who would not give him back his money after his sexual failure. She writes:
"With all my heart I'll go away,
But nothing done, I'll nothing pay.
Give back the money." "How," cried she,
"Would you palm such a cheat on me!
For poor four pound to roar and bellow--
Why sure you want some new Prunella?"
Here, Swift, or the Doctor in this poem, asks a prostitute named Betty for his money back and she refuses, calling it a "cheat." Montagu defends women by showing that Swift simply wanted to spite someone who angered him. It is unsurprising, considering that Swift's poem was very one-sided and portrayed a pessimistic image of women.
The basin takes whatever comes
The scrapings of her teeth and gums,
A nasty compound of all hues,
For here she spits, and here she spews.
But oh! it turned poor Strephon’s bowels,
When he beheld and smelled the towels,
Begummed, bemattered, and beslimed
With dirt, and sweat, and earwax grimed.
Here, the narrator describes a basin that people back then probably used to wash their face and mouth. This goes to show that not many men are aware that women perform natural bodily functions such as urinating, defecating or passing gas. I'm not sure if Swift was aware of feminist critical theory, but this seemed to be written in the form of a satire. It shows a man curious about a lady's dressing room, only to find that women are just like men.
Montagu claims that Swift wrote this poem because he resented a woman who would not give him back his money after his sexual failure. She writes:
"With all my heart I'll go away,
But nothing done, I'll nothing pay.
Give back the money." "How," cried she,
"Would you palm such a cheat on me!
For poor four pound to roar and bellow--
Why sure you want some new Prunella?"
Here, Swift, or the Doctor in this poem, asks a prostitute named Betty for his money back and she refuses, calling it a "cheat." Montagu defends women by showing that Swift simply wanted to spite someone who angered him. It is unsurprising, considering that Swift's poem was very one-sided and portrayed a pessimistic image of women.
April 23, 2018
Dominic Schillace
In Jonathan Swift’s attempt to slander women in his poem “The lady’s dressing room” was an adorable attempt. I find his humor to be equivalent to that of a child finding a dead bug on the floor and calling it gross or icky. The poem illustrates a woman’s dressing room to be that strange he displays the scenery as though the room was a science lab of some sort. The poem itself is pleasant to read for laughs and giggles by the over exaggerated language he uses to describe women. He refers to them to be from a strange world not known to earth by man and must be studies. Swift writes “greasy coifs and pinners reeking, which Celia slept at least a week in,” (line 53) he fails to recognize women are human since men also wear the same clothes multiple times during the week before washing them. The time period also plays a part since washing machines were not invented yet, so I would think not washing clothes for a period of time was a common practice. Jonathan swift has roasts at the ready to patronize women for being slobs without realizing people are slobs instead of subjecting grimy lifestyles only to women. This poem is directed towards any individuals searching for a quick laugh and one of the first beefs in poetry. Mary Montagu slaps back with a witty poem of her own called “The reasons that induced Dr. S. to write a poem called the lady’s dressing Room.” She criticizes him by informing him all men are not these perfect gods while roasting his character at the same damn time. Montagu writes in a soft smooth tone and each line entails a saucy response creepy Dr. S. She insults his age by referring to his junk not being able to work, she writes “and kisses both, and tries---and tries… he swore, the fault is not me” (line 65-69). Montagu slanders his manhood in which Swift takes much pride in, but he is like an old computer, out of date. Both texts I would recommend high school students and beyond will enjoy to read this, a young mind should be exposed to writings so later in life they can revisit the text with a different mindset and perspective formulating new ideas they may not have early on in life.
In Jonathan Swift’s attempt to slander women in his poem “The lady’s dressing room” was an adorable attempt. I find his humor to be equivalent to that of a child finding a dead bug on the floor and calling it gross or icky. The poem illustrates a woman’s dressing room to be that strange he displays the scenery as though the room was a science lab of some sort. The poem itself is pleasant to read for laughs and giggles by the over exaggerated language he uses to describe women. He refers to them to be from a strange world not known to earth by man and must be studies. Swift writes “greasy coifs and pinners reeking, which Celia slept at least a week in,” (line 53) he fails to recognize women are human since men also wear the same clothes multiple times during the week before washing them. The time period also plays a part since washing machines were not invented yet, so I would think not washing clothes for a period of time was a common practice. Jonathan swift has roasts at the ready to patronize women for being slobs without realizing people are slobs instead of subjecting grimy lifestyles only to women. This poem is directed towards any individuals searching for a quick laugh and one of the first beefs in poetry. Mary Montagu slaps back with a witty poem of her own called “The reasons that induced Dr. S. to write a poem called the lady’s dressing Room.” She criticizes him by informing him all men are not these perfect gods while roasting his character at the same damn time. Montagu writes in a soft smooth tone and each line entails a saucy response creepy Dr. S. She insults his age by referring to his junk not being able to work, she writes “and kisses both, and tries---and tries… he swore, the fault is not me” (line 65-69). Montagu slanders his manhood in which Swift takes much pride in, but he is like an old computer, out of date. Both texts I would recommend high school students and beyond will enjoy to read this, a young mind should be exposed to writings so later in life they can revisit the text with a different mindset and perspective formulating new ideas they may not have early on in life.
April 23, 2018
Jonathan Swift swiftly exposes a woman’s daily routine in just a few pages. His poem, “The Lady’s Dressing Room” gets down and dirty. It unmasks a woman before her makeup and reveals the ignorance of some men. Although the poem is arguably degrading it highlights a different perspective of how women are viewed in society by some men. On the surface, deeming that this poem is insulting seems plausible. Therefore, it is worth further examination. I personally recommend this poem to undergraduate English majors with a concentration in literature whom enjoy the occasional Shakespearean sonnet. “The Lady’s Dressing Room” uses several literary devices to keep the reader engaged. Swift plays with rhyme, imagery and metaphor to evoke feelings of disgust throughout the entire duration of his poem. For example, Swift states:
The smallest worm in Celia’s nose,
And faithfully direct her nail
To squeeze it out from head to tail;
For catch it nicely by the head,
It must come out alive or dead.
The narrator is fascinated as Celia pops a pimple on her face as though it’s unheard of for women to even have blemishes. He compares her pimple to a worm which - might I add - typically emerges from dirt. This poem is also relevant to those that study 18th century literature and the restoration. It goes hand and hand with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s “The Reasons that Induced Dr S to Write a Poem called ‘The Lady’s Dressing Room’”. In Montagu’s poem she responds to Swift’s misogyny and sexual objectification.“The Lady’s Dressing Room” was so controversial during it’s time that it prompted an immediate response. It not only reflects society in the 18th century but today as well.
The smallest worm in Celia’s nose,
And faithfully direct her nail
To squeeze it out from head to tail;
For catch it nicely by the head,
It must come out alive or dead.
The narrator is fascinated as Celia pops a pimple on her face as though it’s unheard of for women to even have blemishes. He compares her pimple to a worm which - might I add - typically emerges from dirt. This poem is also relevant to those that study 18th century literature and the restoration. It goes hand and hand with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s “The Reasons that Induced Dr S to Write a Poem called ‘The Lady’s Dressing Room’”. In Montagu’s poem she responds to Swift’s misogyny and sexual objectification.“The Lady’s Dressing Room” was so controversial during it’s time that it prompted an immediate response. It not only reflects society in the 18th century but today as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2023
I felt that the reading was a direct invasion of women. Men did not understand what it was like to put on layers of fabric to retain a women's status in this period. I was not happy, but the rhyming made it go by quickly. How could a man assume in one period of time that a women getting ready was a disgusting procedure? The woman's efforts were to show the serious lengths a women was willing to go because there were ideal standards of beauty in this Century. The amount of pressure this lady was probably under... And the way that Swift wrote about the woman into a disgusting figure. All of the ideas that women are shallow because they only care about their image, or that they are incapable of thought, and deceptive because of how female beauty is maintained through deception to seduce men are very misogynistic beliefs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2023
I read this for class, and found it insightful. It was at times funny as it is the satire of the woman getting ready. She takes 5 hours to get pretty and get rid of everything that would make her look or feel ugly.
October 28, 2017
What a grotesque yet amazing poem.
April 4, 2022
2.5 stars
September 19, 2022
fucking love scat
December 5, 2024
Lowkey sexist asf
April 25, 2025
he is why i’m not a swiftie. get fucked loser.
December 5, 2019
Thoughtful and gross!
February 6, 2023
hehe...when society has standards...and women go great lengths to meet them...and then men snoop...very vivid imagery that pokes fun at everyone...i will pretend is it not sexist and is rather a critique of both men and women...
June 1, 2024
Another Pamphlet from the 18th century bought for Me by a friend almost as a joke but one which I still read. It was a tirade and a poem against people who are self-obsessed and narcissistic by Jonathan Swift. In it's own terms it's quite successful because I enjoyed the poem. It is very nasty and more vitriolic than I expected it to be. The problem is to a modern audience it comes across as a little bit misogynistic. There's so much hatred of women in the poem that I wasn't entirely comfortable with it.
On the positive side these are short books and therefore I'm bumping up my numbers. I know it's sad and that I should know better given my age, but there is something deep inside that likes the fact that you start a book and finish it quite quickly. There's a tiny little dopamine hit that I get because you are now picking another book to read.
The other poem in this Pamphlet is so unremarkable that I can barely remember it. I quite enjoy those little political pamphlets that you often get in these books as well because it's interesting to see the way people thought back in the 18th century. I think it's a good thing that these Old pamphlets are being reprinted when you want them to be. It's interesting to see a document that was so vital and current all those years ago. It does give you a different perspective on your own life.
It is easy to forget that with the internet literally everybody in the world, potentially, has the ability to give their opinion on anything that they want.(That's not to say they should. Perhaps part of the problem these days is everybody gives their opinion on things they have neither read nor seen or experienced.) back then giving your opinion on something was only for the very rich and the very privileged and was an inherently dangerous thing to do.
So this was okay, it wasn't a great read. It didn't rock my world but I enjoyed reading it.
On the positive side these are short books and therefore I'm bumping up my numbers. I know it's sad and that I should know better given my age, but there is something deep inside that likes the fact that you start a book and finish it quite quickly. There's a tiny little dopamine hit that I get because you are now picking another book to read.
The other poem in this Pamphlet is so unremarkable that I can barely remember it. I quite enjoy those little political pamphlets that you often get in these books as well because it's interesting to see the way people thought back in the 18th century. I think it's a good thing that these Old pamphlets are being reprinted when you want them to be. It's interesting to see a document that was so vital and current all those years ago. It does give you a different perspective on your own life.
It is easy to forget that with the internet literally everybody in the world, potentially, has the ability to give their opinion on anything that they want.(That's not to say they should. Perhaps part of the problem these days is everybody gives their opinion on things they have neither read nor seen or experienced.) back then giving your opinion on something was only for the very rich and the very privileged and was an inherently dangerous thing to do.
So this was okay, it wasn't a great read. It didn't rock my world but I enjoyed reading it.
April 4, 2016
I was grossed out throughout most of it. Jonathan Swift sure didn't leave out any unsavoury detail in his poem which illustrates an absurd romantic delusion of women and offers an overall repulsive view of the female body. No wonder Lady Mary Wortley Montagu vehemently responded to the satire with one of her own in which she calls out Swift (whom she accuses of being the protagonist himself after experiencing sexual disappointment with a prostitute, el oh el) and criticizes the male tradition in poetry. In fact, the text basically consists of a doctor making an inventory of what he sees in his mistress's vacant room and using a vocabulary that quite clearly reflects his disgust upon the earthly physicality that he describes. Yes, Strephon, sorry to break it to you, but women shit too.
September 9, 2015
I loved the natural flow of this poem; the rhyme and metre made it such an easy read. I also loved Swift's heavy focus on the senses in the poem; there was a lot of description of sights and smells which created vivid images. The only reason I am not awarding 5 stars to 'The Lady's Dressing Room' is due to the slight inaccessibility: there were quite a few words I had to look up the meaning of, which hindered the overall processing of the content.
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December 6, 2016I'll always love the satire of this poem.
April 19, 2020
I mean it's fine.
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