A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift. Short summary

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A pamphlet mocking the vices of the church. The father left his sons Peter (Catholicism), Martin (Lutheranism) and Jack (Calvinism) a covenant. But Peter hid it and became the sole heir.

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In England, «tale of the barrel» means «idle talk.» Therefore, the narrative style is very convoluted, with many digressions, in which the author scourges human vices — stupidity, lies, meanness. Precedes the book «Introduction», in which writers and critics argue about literature, and the spider and the bee — who is more necessary.

The second line of the narrative is the story of 3 brothers. Their father died and left them a will (the New Testament). But Peter, representing Catholicism, hid the covenant from the brothers, Jack (Calvinism) and Martin (Lutheranism and the Anglican Church). Thus Peter proclaimed himself the sole heir of his father, usurping power. But the author also shows the other brothers in an unflattering way.

The author shows that behind the preaching of the ministers of religion lies a thirst for profit and a desire for power.