Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and priest, best known for his brilliant book Gulliver's Travel. He is one of the greatest satirists in the English language. His rebellious nature drove him to attack unjust laws and ridiculous customs.
Early Life of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 30, 1667 and lived in Ireland for most of his life, although he was born to English parents. His dislike of authority got him into trouble form an early age.
Trinity College, Dublin, almost refused to award him a degree because he broke the rules so often. He was a good friend of William Congreve.
Swift the Priest and Politician
Swift was ordained as a Protestant priest in 1694, and for a while he was employed as secretary to a famous scholar and politician of the day, Sir William Temple.
Out of disillusionment in seeking favour from the Whig grandees in England, he had a political shift when the Whigs refused to tolerate Catholics and his more conservative way of thinking. He eventually became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin after the death of Queen Anne.
First Published Satires
Swift published his first important satires, Battle of the Books and A Tale of a Tub, when he was 37. The former makes fun of arguments between scholars, and the latter mocks certain religious beliefs.
A Modest Proposal
As Swift grew older, he became more interested in serious political issues, and his satires became more scathing.
In a famous satirical essay against English rule in Ireland called A Modest Proposal, he ironically suggested that Irish children should be sold as slaves or the horrific idea that they should be eaten to prevent them growing up in poverty!
Swift's Gulliver's Travels
When he was 60, Swift published Gulliver's Travels, his most famous book. The story is about the voyages of an English sailor through fantastic places as Lilliput and the land of the Yahoos.
Although the book is enjoyed for the incredible adventures of its hero, Swift wrote it to ridicule human weaknesses and cruelties.
Last Words on Jonathan Swift
To an extent, Swift is an enigma. Some critics have said that at times he hated humanity, however, throughout his life he donated one third of his income to charity, and when he died, he left money to build a hospital. He died at the age of 77, on October 19, 1745.
Books by Jonathan Swift
- Battle of the Books, 1704
- A Tale of a Tub, 1704
- Journal to Stella, 1710-1713
- Cadenus and Vanessa, 1713
- On the Conduct of Allies, 1713
- Drapier's Letters, 1724
- Gulliver's Travels, 1726
- A Modest Proposal, 1729
- Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, 1739
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
Comments