Then join us! The whole affair left a lasting impression on him, which can be felt in his writings. A brief history is given of how past monarchs—from James I to William III—have treated the Dissenters; in the opinion of the speaker, it is too leniently. Some made use of it as a genuine vindication of the anti-Dissenter opinion, although speculation later occurred over whether it was ironic. This page is based on the Wikipedia article. [9] Defoe uses and imitates the language and metaphor of fanatical churchman, particularly Sacheverell's sermons; the speaker's comparison of the Dissenters to vipers is one that Sacheverell often made. [1] In the years following his arrest and release, Defoe made several attempts to explain The Shortest Way and his own viewpoint. A vision is given of what will happen to the Church of England if it is not defended against the Dissenters. The pamphlet generated a great deal of publicity, but to those on both sides of the issue, it was not clear whether it was satire or not. [14] The Shortest Way is frequently contrasted with another work of irony in the eighteenth century, which is considered to have succeeded in its use of the device, Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal (1729). Long-term goals tend to be things like: end racism; end homophobia; make the sun stand still in the sky. A vision is given of what will happen to the Church of England if it is not defended against the Dissenters. …one of Defoe’s anonymous works, The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters (1702), so brilliantly sustained its impersonation of a High Church extremist, its supposed narrator, that it was at first mistaken for the real thing. His lead was followed by the Tory press, who published a number of sermons and pamphlets making similar arguments. Defoe was prompted to write the pamphlet by the increased hostility towards Dissenters in the wake of the accession of Queen Anne to the throne. Brings public and political attention to an issue or campaign. He was fined, made to stand in the pillory on three occasions and remained in prison till November; in the meantime, his business affairs sank into ruin. The major section comprises a series of arguments for why the Dissenters should be treated favourably ("They are very numerous", "That this is a time of war"). [1] The suspected involvement of the Tory Speaker of the House, Robert Harley, in obtaining the release of Defoe is credited as the beginning of their professional relationship, in which Defoe worked as a propagandist for Harley, after he succeeded Nottingham as Secretary of State in 1704. The pamphlet raised embarrassing questions about the handling of the issue by the Tory ministry, and led to Defoe's arrest for seditious libel. Browse around or visit our favorite actions. "), The Shortest Way has traditionally been classified as a satire, although this has been disputed by scholars. To go on tolerating them is like allowing a plague to continue without medical treatment. Paul Alkon describes the critical tradition surrounding the work as "asking mainly whether it is inadequate irony, deficient satire, or misused impersonation. It is written in the same style as the Tory publications that attacked Dissenters, and was assumed by some people to be a genuine vindication of their view. [1], Modern scholarly reception has considered The Shortest Way in negative terms, as a failed satire, or as using irony so slight as to be undetectable. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In February the House of Commons had "The Shortest Way" burned by the common hangman. The Cock, lacking any perch in the stable, is forced to rest on the ground and in fear of the Horses moving around and stepping on him, advises: “Pray, Gentlefolks! The major section comprises a series of arguments for why the Dissenters should be treated favourably ("They are very numerous", "That this is a time of war"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shortest_Way_with_the_Dissenters. Miriam Laurenbaum has suggested that it is instead a form of hoax or "banter",[5] and that Defoe does not use many of the features necessary for it to be considered a true satire. [11], Upon its publication, The Shortest Way provoked immediate and passionate reactions from both sides of the debate. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Shortest-Way-With-the-Dissenters, English literature: Publication of political literature. …of all his pamphlets, “The Shortest-Way With The Dissenters” (1702), published anonymously. His method was ironic: to discredit the highfliers by writing as if from their viewpoint but reducing their arguments to absurdity. He was released on bail in June and his trial for seditious libel began early the following month and was quickly over. His imprisonment, during which he fell into bankruptcy, was to have a lasting influence on his subsequent writings. [8] The pamphlet mixes both real observation and fabrication, and assumes the rhetorical style of his target. for fear we should tread upon one another!” The speaker then applies this to the contemporary situation, with the Cock representing the Dissenters. The next section accuses the Dissenters of involvement with various notorious and hideous events of the past century, including the English Civil War and Monmouth's Rebellion. In 1702, King William III died, and Queen Anne succeeded to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. "[6] Ashley Marshall suggests that "The Shortest-Way is best understood not as insufficiently ironic but as a counterfeit, an intentional fake not meant to be decoded. deposed another King! The identity of the person who took the text to the printer was quickly discovered, and from that the identity of the author, and a substantial reward was offered for his arrest. Defoe was prompted to write the pamphlet by the increased hostility towards Dissenters in the wake of the accession of Queen Anne to the throne. He had written against it in a pamphlet entitled An enquiry into occasional conformity: Shewing that the dissenters are no way concern'd in it (1698). Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA). [1], In the same year, hostility towards Dissenters increased. Can include prefigurative action, making the invisible visible. and made a Mock King of a third!"). Pleading guilty, as technically he was, and appealing for mercy on the ground that he had not meant to be taken seriously, he was sentenced to stand three times in the pillory, pay a stiff fine and remain in prison until he could provide sureties for his good behavior for seven years. The pamphlet ends with a rallying call to action against the Dissenters in defence of the church ("Now let us crucify the Thieves.") Written in the voice of a High Anglican bigoted zealot, and mimicking high church sermons, the pamphlet argued that the best way of dealing with the dissenters was to banish them abroad and send their preachers to the hangman. let us stand still! Daniel Defoe, author of The Shortest Way The Shortest Way with the Dissenters; Or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church is a pamphlet by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1702. Creative tactics that help bring about change. The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters; Or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church. In the years after his release, Defoe published several pamphlets that attempted to explain its purpose and his own views. Betrayed for the reward, Defoe was caught in May in Spitalfields and confined in Newgate jail. "[7], The difficulty for Defoe's contemporaries in assessing whether the work was ironic was the proximity of the speaker's voice to that of the High Anglicans whose views are being ridiculed. The Shortest Way with the Dissenters; or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church[4] is a pamphlet consisting of twenty-nine pages. To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. The authorities were certainly not amused, nor were the dissenters. China's censors tested by microbloggers who keep one step ahead of state media, After escape from North Korea, artist turns from propaganda to pop art, A Startup's Tool Helps Evade Iran's Censors, for Now. Maybe it failed, but it sure did achieve longevity. A campaign with a long-term goal also needs to have some kind of theory of change. 1909-14. To draw attention to the Church's extremist views regarding dissenters, and to the state's interference in church matters. Amongst the series of explanatory pamphlets doing this are An Explanation of a Late Pamphlet, Entituled, The Shortest Way… (1703) and A Dialogue Between a Dissenter and the Observator (1703). English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay. It opens with the fable of the Cock and the Horses. [1][12] The pamphlet generated a great deal of publicity over the handling of the issue by the Tory ministry. "The Shortest Way with the Dissenters;" Or, "Proposals for the Establishment of the Church" is a pamphlet by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1702. Defoe went into hiding and published "A Brief Explanation of a Late Pamphlet" to say that he had been misunderstood. "The Shortest Way with the Dissenters;" Or, "Proposals for the Establishment of the Church" is a pamphlet by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1702. [10] Although The Shortest Way does not parody the genre of the Anglican sermon, it does deploy some of the same structures; the initial Aesopic fable of the Cock and the Horses is expanded upon in a way that parallels the use of a biblical quotation to initiate a sermon. This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear long-term goal. She was markedly less tolerant than William of the device known as "occasional conformity", whereby Dissenters could qualify as members of the Church of England—and thereby hold public office—by attending a church service once a year. If critics have offered praise, it is the extent to which Defoe managed to impersonate the style of his subjects, so as to be indistinguishable from them. Anonymity was to be an important creative resource for … The pamphlet had a huge sale, but the irony blew up in Defoe’s face: Dissenters and High…, …one of Defoe’s anonymous works, The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters (1702), so brilliantly sustained its impersonation of a High Church extremist, its supposed narrator, that it was at first mistaken for the real thing. Daniel Defoe. [15], Secretary of State for the Southern Department. Anonymity was to be an important creative resource for Defoe in his novels and for Swift…. The speaker denounces each in turn and offers several counter-arguments, each gradually escalating in their severity. Defoe was prompted to write the pamphlet by the increased hostility towards Dissenters in the wake of the accession of Queen Anne to the throne. The accusations become increasingly sinister, and at points the speaker directly addresses the Dissenters ("You have butchered one King! The Shortest Way with the Dissenters; Or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church is a pamphlet by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1702. Defoe was prompted to write the pamphlet by the increased hostility towards Dissenters in … Defoe was supportive of religious freedom, though he was critical of the device and considered it hypocrisy. [3] In December, Defoe published his own pamphlet, The Shortest Way, assuming the same stylistic conventions as the Sacheverell and the Tory publications.[1]. [13] Such a conclusion cites the contemporary reaction to the work, how it failed to deliver its objectives and also caused its author such problems. The speaker denounces each in turn and offers several counter-arguments, each gradually escalating in their severity.