Discuss 'The Battle of the Books' As a Mock Epic. OR

English (Hons.) e- Study Material For Part-II Students Paper-IV Dr. Uday Pratap Singh HOD, English MP College, Mohania, Kaimur Q- Discuss ‘The Battle of The Books’ as a mock epic. OR What is the significance of Allegory of ‘Spider and Bee’. Ans- ‘The Battle of The Book’ is a penetrating satire aimed at the sharp controversy over the merits of the ancient and the modern writers. Swift has used the devices of mock epic and allegory of the spider and bee episode to make fun of the Moderns. In the mock heroic a trivial subject is made ridiculous by being treated with the dignified devices of the epic. In ‘The Battle of The Books’ the descriptions of the writers and their weapons, armies in the battle the epic digressions and the conference are written in an epic style like the epics of Homer and Virgil. But the subject matter of ‘The Battle’ is petty literary controversy. Swift has used all the main features of a great epic like invocation, epic similes and images, epic description, and supernatural machinery to inhance the effect. Like Milton’s ‘The Paradise Lost’ Swift starts the book with evocation of the Muse of History to assist him to describe the battle. Later on, he uses epic similes and images to describe the nocturnal trip of Wotton and Bentley some neglected quarter of the ancients’ army they are linked to “two mongrel curs, whom native greediness and domestic waunt provoke and join in partnership.” The folloeing simile is remarkable to illustrate Boyle’s fierce attack on Wotton- “As a young lion in the Libyan Plains, Or Araby desert, sent by his aged sire to Hunt for prey……noisy long eared animal.” In the beginning of the book, we have epic description of Homer and Virgil such as: “Homer appeared at the head of the cavalry mounted on a furious horse, with difficulty, managed by the rider himself.” The supernatural machinery has been the inseparable part of the epics. Homer has used Olympian gods and Milton has involved angles and Christ in Paradise Lost. Following the epic tradition, Swift has engaged gods and goddesses in the battle when Fame carries the news to Jupiter. Mornus is the patron of the modern while Pallas becomes the supporter of the ancients. These supernatural machineries were capable of changing their shapes and sizes to suit their purpose. Aesop assumes the shapes of an ass in order to appear as a modern. The digression is another epic element used by the ancient masters. The episode of the spider and the bee is one of the most interesting digressions used in ‘The Battle of The Books’ to carry on the debate between the Moderns are hurling hot words at each other, a wandering bee enters the library through a broken pane and alights on the cobweb of a spider. The spider is infuriated because his dwelling is in ruins. He begins to establish his claim to superiority. He says that the bee is on ly homeless vagabond while he regards himself as a domestic animal living in a castle which he has himself built. Moreover, he has furnished with a native stock within his own body. In reply the bee says that he collects honey from flower without harming any body. On the other hand, the spider gathers only dirt and poison by remaining at home. The bee ridicules the spider for his skill in mathematics and ignorance of music. The arrogant spider in on the verge of burstings with rage and pride but the bee flies away to a bed of flowers. The incident of the spider and bee is a both an allegory and a fable. It is a moral purpose. The dispute between the spider and the bee is summed up by Aesop himself who was the famous Greek writer of beast fables. He interprets their dialogue as a dispute between the ancients and the moderns. According to him, the spider with his love of dirt and pride is a perfect modern. He is proud of his skill in architecture and mathematics. It is because the modern literature is made of materials a flimsy as cobweb. The case of the ancient is put forward by the bee. Like the ancients, the bee goes to all corners of nature and selects the most suitable materials which he converst into something good and useful for mankind. Whereas the spider emits poison the bee produces honey and wax. He gives mankind sweetness and light. The ancients like Homer and Virgil brought out sweetness and light. Thus the purpose of the allegory is to show pretentious nature of the moderns. Thus it is a great mock epic in prose .

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