Mandeville Studies: New Explorations in the Art and Thought of Dr. Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733)

For centuries readers have admired the writer who wields his pen like a sword — an Aristophanes, a Rabelais, a Montaigne, a Swift. Using ribaldry, satire and irony in varying proportions, such writers pierce the thick, comfortable hide of society and uncover, predictably, the corruption and hypocrisy that characterize the life of man in commercial society. Though a lesser talent than any of these literary giants, Bernard Mande­ ville is nevertheless a member of their class. The crucial year...