A Modest Defence of Publick Stews

by Bernard Mandeville

In this study of Bernard Mandeville's A Modest Defence of Publick Stews , Irwin Primer breaks new ground by arguing that in addition to being an advocation for the establishment of state-regulated houses of prostitution, Mandeville's writing is also a highly polished work of literature.

Genres: Classics, Economics

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1724

About the author

Bernard Mandeville, or Bernard de Mandeville, was a philosopher, political economist and satirist. Born in the Netherlands, he lived most of his life in England and used English for most of his published works. He became famous (or infamous) for The Fable of the Bees.

Reviews

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I wonder why this piece of elongated literature received literally no feedback compared to Swift's modest proposal?" I asked myself. And then I realised, I know why. Because this outrageous piece of literature does not utilise satire as swiftly as Swift did (hehe).

Mandeville was a little too transparent, but completely absurd. His suggestions were so well thought-out that it's hard not to believe him slightly insane (in a genius way). I know absurdity is a part of satire, however the discussion was far too drawn-out. I like comparative study, so I'll bring up Swift's proposal yet again: A short, concise and VERY sweet proposal to eat children, I adored it. The present work went on and on for pages about the Clap, the Chastity of women, and the baseness inflicted upon oneself at the flick of their wrist (a.k.a masturbation). It is clear that Mandeville was a feminist, or a "proto-feminist"and was calling out Misogyny in all of its forms, even challenging religion through his paradoxical sentences and elusive references. However, this is not to say that transparency is bad. It's just a little boring after reading Swift's proposal.