JONATHAN SWIFT

JONATHAN SWIFT

Giada

LIFE

Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin in 1667 to English parents. He was educated according to Anglican principles and defended Ireland even if he felt English. He left Dublin for England to live with Sir William Temple, (because James II was trying to gather Catholics on his side), and Swift joined Temple’s circle, which helped him become the most important writer of that age. In politics he was a Whig, but after, however, he became close to the Tories. Swift wrote satirical works and died in 1745.

Among his most important works are:

"a tale of tub",

a satire about three brothers who represent Catholicism (excess), Anglicanism (balance), and Protestantism (subtraction). In this text there is also a metaphor: the coat given by the father, which represents the original doctrine.

"the battle of the books",

• “The Battle of the Books”, a satire set in the St. James Library that mocks the dispute between the Ancients (bee) and the Moderns (spider), with Aesop as the mediator. Swift makes the classical authors win and, in the “Author’s Apology,” he mentions two elements he uses in his writing: • WIT → intelligence and mental ability, used to criticize clearly • HUMOUR → comedy, used to make the satire lively

"a modest proposal",

is a famous satirical pamphlet in which the author, with a serious tone, suggests solving poverty and overpopulation in Ireland by selling poor children as food for rich landowners. The text criticizes English indifference and economic exploitation.

"The Drapier’s Letters",

are a series of seven satirical pamphlets written to oppose the English decision to impose a worthless copper coin in Ireland. Swift united the Irish people against English economic exploitation, defending the island’s freedom and economic independence.

"Meditation on a Broomstick",

is a satire in which the author criticizes empty rhetoric by speaking in a solemn tone about a ridiculous object: a broom. This creates a contrast between a high style and a low subject.

his most important work is

gulliver's travel

a satirical novel in four books. The protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver — a name that comes from gullible (someone easy to fool) — is a simple ship’s surgeon who, after his travels to imaginary lands, becomes more and more misanthropic. Swift uses these journeys to satirize society.

IN THE FIRST BOOK , he uses the tiny Lilliputians, who capture him, to criticize politics. He also shows how their political fights are ridiculous, like the war with Blefuscu about how to break an egg. This makes fun of real political conflicts that are small but treated as very important.

IN THE SECOND BOOK, the meeting with the giant Brobdingnagians, who treat him like a toy, shows the physical imperfections of humans.The King of Brobdingnag listens to Gulliver talk about Europe and concludes that humans are violent and morally corrupt. This makes Gulliver understand that humans are not as great as they think.

THE THIRD BOOK, set in Laputa, satirizes the pride of science and scientists who think they can solve all human problems. The scientists are so focused on theories that they cannot do anything useful. Many experiments are absurd, like trying to extract sunlight from cucumbers. This shows how science without practicality becomes useless.

IN THE FOURTH BOOK, Gulliver meets the Yahoos (degraded human-like creatures) and the Houyhnhnms (perfect horses). The Houyhnhnms represent pure reason, while the Yahoos represent the worst side of humanity. Gulliver wants to become a horse, but they reject him. He collapses mentally and begins to hate humans because he associates them with the Yahoos.

Swift's work criticizes both utopian ideals and the real flaws of human beings. Gulliver's Travels remains a complex and controversial work: some see it as a children's book, others as a deep philosophical story. It has also been interpreted as Swift's critique of society's taboos.