Project Gutenberg 2005-06-24 Public domain in the USA. 338 Smeaton, William Henry Oliphant 1856 1914 Smeaton, Oliphant English Satires E-text prepared by Lynn Bornath and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) "English Satires" by William Henry Oliphant Smeaton is a collection of satirical works exploring the development of satire in English literature from the medieval period to the 19th century. Compiled in the late 19th century, this text focuses on key figures in the tradition of English satire, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Lydgate, and Jonathan Swift. Through a representative selection, the compilation illustrates the thematic and stylistic evolution of satire, reflecting societal critiques and literary characteristics across various eras. The opening of the collection includes a preface by the author outlining the purpose and structure of the volume, as well as detailed introductions to individual pieces that allow readers to appreciate the nuances of different satirical approaches. The first excerpt features Langland's "Pilgrimage in Search of Do-well," where the Dreamer embarks on a quest for virtue, encountering various characters along the way. Tension arises from the notion of Do-well being elusive, as the Dreamer seeks guidance but faces confusion even among the learned. This initial exploration sets the stage for further satirical commentary on morality and societal institutions through the subsequent selections, such as Chaucer’s sharp portraits of a monk and a friar, each embodying flaws in the religious order. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 72.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Satire, English PN Text Category: Humour Category: British Literature 732237 2025-07-07T05:39:17.578974 text/html 745108 2020-12-11T11:11:26 text/html 358521 2025-07-07T05:39:36.796870 application/epub+zip 362112 2025-07-07T05:39:22.855940 application/epub+zip 343540 2025-07-07T05:39:20.426971 application/epub+zip 681128 2025-07-07T05:39:44.483817 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 940115 2025-07-07T05:39:34.308865 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 914712 2022-09-08T03:38:41.196393 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 571360 2025-07-07T05:39:15.395966 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 570898 2020-12-11T11:11:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 570931 2020-12-11T11:11:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20925 2025-07-07T05:39:44.634808 application/rdf+xml 11381 2025-07-07T05:39:21.012919 image/jpeg 2865 2025-07-07T05:39:20.718945 image/jpeg 235202 2020-12-11T11:11:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 259561 2020-12-11T11:11:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 235022 2020-12-11T11:11:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 331528 2025-07-07T05:39:17.627966 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia