
While part of the association of wits that included Pope and Swift, John Gay (1685-1732) developed an original idiom in which he presented an insistently social world. His voice and the voice of his age sound clearly in this collection of his poetry.

This selection from a master of parody and pastiche enables Gay's poetry to take place alongside his drama as a distinctive reflection of his age.

A selection of the poetry of John Gay (1685-1732) who was part of the 'association of wits' that included Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. His wit is characterised by a benign and ironic sense of the fallibility of humankind.