"A Beautiful Young Nymph Going To Bed" - poem analysis from the perspective of new historicism

Swift's characteristic, ironical gimmick can be spotted even before the poem begins – in the title itself. As the reader quickly notices, the Beautiful Young Nymph does not turn out to be a real mythological creature, or even a real, yet sophisticated lady – Corinna is, in fact, a prostitute. However, the misconception of the character draws even further, as the reader – if they are familiar with the 18th-century fashion, especially the feminine attire – might instinctively picture Corinna as a well dressed (albeit still keeping in mind that her beauty might have been purely created by make-up, yet again taking into consideration the time frame), attractive woman. Here, the author's satirical style comes to play yet again; he describes the lady's bedtime routine, detailing the ridiculous amount of various "enchantments" she takes off, therefore revealing her true physical self – a body marked and destroyed by whatever illness the 18th century London, with which Swift was very familiar with, might have had "in-store" for a woman like Corinna. The destruction of Corinna's disguise, mostly by pests, might be interpreted as an allusion to the actual nature of the London society of the 1700s, hidden between a thick veil of appearances and phony refinement.