Satire in the Enlightenment

I wish that we had spent more time in class studying the satirical pieces in the book like Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," which is one of my favorite works not only of the Enlightenment period, but ever. I feel that "A Modest Proposal" displays unique characteristics that unite the ideals of the philosophes and romantics. While Swift's essay is educational in that, through attempting to "rationalize" a solution for a problem caused by absurd and unfair treatment of the Irish by the English, Swift's engagement with his subject matter also shows clearly throughout the essay and while it is not a spontaneous work, it is sincere.