Swift's Bickerstaff Papers Turn Satire into Public Hoax
Poet involved
What happened
In 1708 Jonathan Swift used the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff to predict and then mock the death of the astrologer John Partridge. The pamphlet hoax played with prophecy, print credibility and public gullibility. It showed how quickly periodical satire could become a social event.
Literary impact
The Bickerstaff episode sharpened the persona-based satire that shaped eighteenth-century prose and verse. It also influenced the voice of later periodicals, where fictional speakers guided readers through politics, taste and urban folly.
Source: Wikipedia
