Jonathan Swift

Born30November1667Dublin,Ireland1Died19October1745(aged77)IrelandPennameM.B.Drapier,LemuelGulliver,IsaacBickerstaffOccupationSatirist,essayist,politicalpamphleteer,poet,priestLanguageEnglishAlmamaterTrinityCollege,DublinNotablework(s)Gulliver'sTravelsAModestProposalATaleofaTubDrapier'sLettersJonathanSwift(30November1667–19October1745)wasanAnglo-Irish[1]satirist,essayist,politicalpamphleteer(firstfortheWhigs,thenfortheTories),poetandclericwhobecameDeanofSt.Patrick'sCathedral,Dublin.HeisrememberedforworkssuchasGulliver'sTravels,AModestProposal,AJournaltoStella,Drapier'sLetters,TheBattleoftheBooks,AnArgumentAgainstAbolishingChristianity,andATaleofaTub.SwiftisprobablytheforemostprosesatiristintheEnglishlanguage,andislesswellknownforhispoetry.Swiftoriginallypublishedallofhisworksunderpseudonyms—suchasLemuelGulliver,IsaacBickerstaff,M.B.Drapier—oranonymously.Heisalsoknownforbeingamasteroftwostylesofsatire:theHoratianandJuvenalianstyles.An1850illustrationofSwiftBiographyYouthJonathanSwiftwasbornatNo.7,Hoey'sCourt,Dublin,thecityresidenceofhisuncleandbenefactorGodwinSwift(1628-1695),ofSwiftsHeathHouse,Co.Kilkenny.HewasthesecondchildandonlysonofJonathanSwift(1640-1667)andhiswifeAbigailErick(orHerrick),ofFrisby-on-the-Wreake.Hisfather,anativeofGoodrich,Herefordshire,accompaniedhisbrotherstoIrelandtoseektheirfortunesinlawaftertheirRoyalistfather'sestatewasbroughttoruinduringtheEnglishCivilWar.Swift'sfatherdiedatDublinbeforehewasborn,andhismotherreturnedtoEngland.Hewasleftinthecareofhisinfluentialuncle,Godwin,aclosefriendandconfidanteofSirJohnTemple,whosesonlateremployedSwiftashissecretary.Swift'sfamilyhadseveralinterestingliteraryconnections:Hisgrandmother,Elizabeth(Dryden)Swift,wasthenieceofSirErasmusDryden,grandfatherofthepoetJohnDryden.Thesamegrandmother'saunt,Katherine(Throckmorton)Dryden,wasafirstcousinofthewifeofSirWalterRaleigh.Hisgreat-greatgrandmother,Margaret(Godwin)Swift,wasthesisterofFrancisGodwin,authorofTheManintheMoonewhichinfluencedpartsofSwift'sGulliver'sTravels.Hisuncle,ThomasSwift,marriedadaughterofthepoetandplaywrightSirWilliamDavenant,agodsonofWilliamShakespeare.HisuncleGodwintookprimaryresponsibilityfortheyoungJonathan,sendinghimwithoneofhiscousinstoKilkennyCollege(alsoattendedbythephilosopherGeorgeBerkeley).In1682heattendedDublinUniversity(TrinityCollege,Dublin),financedbyGodwin'sson,Willoughby,fromwherehereceivedhisB.A.in1686,anddevelopedhisfriendshipwithWilliamCongreve.SwiftwasstudyingforhisMaster'sdegreewhenpoliticaltroublesinIrelandsurroundingtheGloriousRevolutionforcedhimtoleaveforEnglandin1688,wherehismotherhelpedhimgetapositionassecretaryandpersonalassistantofSirWilliamTempleatMoorPark,Farnham.TemplewasanEnglishdiplomatwho,havingarrangedtheTripleAllianceof1668,retiredfrompublicservicetohiscountryestatetotendhisgardensandwritehismemoirs.Gainingtheconfidenceofhisemployer,Swiftwasoftentrustedwithmattersofgreatimportance.[citethisquote]Withinthreeyearsoftheiracquaintance,TemplehadintroducedhissecretarytoWilliamIII,andsenthimtoLondontourgetheKingtoconsenttoabillfortriennialParliaments.WhenSwifttookuphisresidenceatMoorPark,hemetEstherJohnson,theneightyearsold,thefatherlessdaughterofoneofthehouseholdservants.Swiftactedashertutorandmentor,givingherthenicknameStella,andthetwomaintainedaclosebutambiguousrelationshipfortherestofEsther'slife.SwiftleftTemplein1690forIrelandbecauseofhishealth,butreturnedtoMoorParkthefollowingyear.Theillness,fitsofvertigoorgiddiness—nowknowntobeMénière'sdisease—wouldcontinuetoplagueSwiftthroughouthislife.DuringthissecondstaywithTemple,SwiftreceivedhisM.A.fromHertfordCollege,Oxfordin1692.Then,apparentlydespairingofgainingabetterpositionthroughTemple'spatronage,SwiftleftMoorParktobecomeanordainedpriestintheEstablishedChurchofIrelandandin1694hewasappointedtotheprebendofKilrootintheDioceseofConnor,withhisparishlocatedatKilroot,nearCarrickfergusinCountyAntrim.Swiftappearstohavebeenmiserableinhisnewposition,beingisolatedinasmall,remotecommunityfarfromthecentresofpowerandinfluence.WhileatKilroot,however,SwiftmaywellhavebecomeromanticallyinvolvedwithJaneWaring.Aletterfromhimsurvives,offeringtoremainifshewouldmarryhimandpromisingtoleaveandneverreturntoIrelandifsherefused.Shepresumablyrefused,becauseSwiftlefthispostandreturnedtoEnglandandTemple'sserviceatMoorParkin1696,andheremainedthereuntilTemple'sdeath.TherehewasemployedinhelpingtoprepareTemple'smemoirsandcorrespondenceforpublication.DuringthistimeSwiftwroteTheBattleoftheBooks,asatirerespondingtocriticsofTemple'sEssayuponAncientandModernLearning(1690).Battlewashowevernotpublisheduntil1704.On27January1699Templedied.SwiftstayedonbrieflyinEnglandtocompletetheeditingofTemple'smemoirs,andperhapsinthehopethatrecognitionofhisworkmightearnhimasuitablepositioninEngland.However,Swift'sworkmadeenemiesofsomeofTemple'sfamilyandfriendswhoobjectedtoindiscretionsincludedinthememoirs.HisnextmovewastoapproachKingWilliamdirectly,basedonhisimaginedconnectionthroughTempleandabeliefthathehadbeenpromisedaposition.Thisfailedsomiserablythatheacceptedth