This volume investigates the literary output of the early eighteenth century, specifically examining how the works of Swift, Defoe, and Pope defined the intellectual and cultural landscape of the era. Bonamy Dobrée, a distinguished scholar of English literature, utilizes a comprehensive historical framework to analyze the transition from late seventeenth-century styles to the burgeoning Augustan age. By synthesizing primary texts with historical context, the author argues that the period's literature reflects a unique intersection of political instability, philosophical inquiry, and social satire. The text serves as a scholarly examination of how these three central figures navigated the shifting literary standards of their time.

Scholars and students of English literature frequently cite this volume as a foundational reference for understanding the specific stylistic and thematic shifts of the early 1700s. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous and thorough historical account of the period's most influential writers.