William Dunkin, poet, clergyman and friend of Jonathan Swift, has been neglected by scholars for more than two centuries. In particular, his long satirical poem, "The Parson's Revels," has not
been printed in full since 1774. Skeen (English, Villanova University) has more than rectified this. In a painstaking work of research, she has created a new edition from an 1862 manuscript
source that includes several lacunae from the first printing. Her introduction gives the details of Dunkin's life and an analysis of the poem. While she feels that Dunkin might chortle at her
meticulous footnotes, explaining the characters in the poem and now obsolete phrases, the reader will appreciate them. She leaves untouched the mock footnotes prepared by the poet himself,
containing nonsensical explanations and wry Latin allusions. This edition should do much to rescue Dunkin from undeserved obscurity. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation 穢2011 Book News,
Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
