Swift
Nickname/Alias: Isaac Bickerstaff
Achievements: Greatest English satirist.
Born: November 30, 1667; Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 19, 1745; Dublin, Ireland (Aged 77)
Field & Discipline: Literature; Poetry; Satire
Language: English
Education: Kilkenny Grammar School (1673-82); Trinity College, Dublin (1782-89)
Major Work: “Gulliver's Travels” (1726)
Life & Times:
In 1689, Swift was offered the job of Secretary to Sir William Temple at Moor Park, in Farnham, Surrey, where he stayed until Temple’s death in 1699. He spent a lot of his time tutoring the daughter of Temple's widowed housekeeper, Esther Johnson. He always referred to Esther as “Stella” and she had a great influence on his life. In 1692, with Temple's patronage, Swift received his MA from the University of Oxford then, in 1694, while on a visit to Ireland, took orders in the Anglican Church and became a priest in February the following year. He was immediately given the job of vicar in Kilroot, near Belfast and he stayed in Ireland until recalled to Moor Park in 1696.
For the next three years Swift worked with Temple and wrote his first major work: “A Tale of a Tub”, in 1704. This powerful satire on religious dissension was published anonymously, together with the mock epic: “The Battle of the Books” (which supported Temple's views on the writings of the “Ancients” – classical writers -- against the “Moderns”).
His “Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit”, which ridiculed the way contemporary religious enthusiasts preached. In 1699, when Temple died, Swift returned to Dublin as Chaplain and Secretary to the Earl of Berkeley, Lord Justice of Ireland. At the same time, he became vicar of Laracor in Co. Meath. In 1701, Esther Johnson left England to settle in Ireland and be closer to Swift. The following year, he won his Doctor of Divinity from Trinity College. Over the next ten years, he went to England four times, the first time being after the publication of “A Tale of a Tub” in 1704. Even though it was published anonymously, it soon became known that he was the author and he experienced his first public notoriety.
Queen Anne considered the work blasphemous, so any chance of Swift advancing through the ranks of the Anglican Church disappeared, but the work won him the admiration of other writers, in particular the group led by [a fan was] Joseph Addison*. Addison introduced him to [a fan was] Steele* and other journalists on the “Tatler” and the “Spectator” and he enjoyed being a part of the London literary scene.
During the 1700s, he became famous as the editor of Temple's memoirs and he published many religious and political essays. Then, back in London in 1708, he met Esther Vanhomrigh, whom he referred to as “Vanessa” and commemorated in his 1726 poem, “Cadenus and Vanessa”. Between 1710 and 1714, Swift lived in London and spent time with “Vanessa” and, when he went back to Dublin in 1714, “Vanessa” insisted on going there to be near him, knowing nothing of “Stella”. Despite the attention of “Vanessa”, during his four years in London, he constantly wrote intimate letters to “Stella”, which were later published as a “Journal to Stella”, 1710-1713. During his time in London, Swift supported the new Tory ministry led by Robert Harley, later Earl of Oxford and, Henry St John, later Viscount Bolingbroke. They all became good friends and Swift worked as the Government's chief publicist. A member of team was the writer [collaborated with] Defoe*, who helped him write pamphlets, verses and periodicals.
In October 1710, he started as editor of the Tory journal, “The Examiner” and continued with it for nine months. Over this period, he used it as a vehicle to discredit the Whigs, bring down the Duke of Marlborough and turn public opinion against the war with France. Probably one of the greatest pamphlets of the time was his “On the Conduct of the Allies”, published in 1713. In the same year, he was rewarded for his services with his appointment as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin and, even though it wasn't the English Deanery or Bishopric that he had hoped for, he kept the job for the rest of his life.
Swift had formed lasting friendships in London among both writers and aristocrats, including [a pal of] Pope*, [a pal of] Gay* and [a pal of] Arbuthnot*. They were co-founders of the Scriblerus Club, along with Robert Harley and the playwright, [a pal of] William Congreve*. Then, when Queen Anne died in 1714, she was succeeded by the Hanoverian George I and the Whigs, under [knew] Robert Walpole*, were returned to power. This was when Swift, shadowed by “Vanessa”, went back to Ireland. He visited London only twice more, once in 1726 and once in 1727. For several years he apparently carried on relationships with both “Stella” and “Vanessa,” who died in 1723. It was rumoured that he had secretly married “Stella” in 1716.
After a period of seclusion in his deanery, Swift gradually returned to writing verse during the 1720s and early 1730s. This period saw his impressive poem, “Verses on the Death of Doctor Swift” and, in 1726, he published the ambiguous poem “Cadenus and Vanessa”, about his intense relationship with Vanessa. In the same year, he published his most famous work and greatest satire, “Gulliver's Travels”, written between 1721 and 1725, which was, and still is, an international bestseller. Although he shared some concerns of the deterioration of the English language, Swift parodied the Royal Society's committee inconclusive effort by proposing elimination of words to be replaced by carrying about a sack of objects. Then, with a renewed interest in public affairs, he established a reputation as an Irish patriot, beginning with the publication of “The Draper's Letters”, 1724-1725. Swift grew increasingly angry about England's attitude to Ireland, blaming Ireland's backward state on the blindness of the British government. The best known of his writings in this vein is “A Modest Proposal”, published in 1729. The proposal took the form of an ironic letter of advice written by a public-spirited citizen suggesting that Ireland's overpopulation and desperate economic situation could be solved if the babies of poor Irish parents were sold as edible delicacies to be eaten by the rich.
By the time of the death of “Stella” in 1728, the ageing Swift had become Dublin's foremost citizen and Ireland's great patriot. He continued to write and publish prose and poetry, including notorious scatological poems, some privately circulated and some published. In the late 1730s, he started suffering from lapses in temper, memory and reasoning, a condition now attributed to Ménière's disease. Then, in 1742, he suffered a stroke and was declared incapable of caring for himself and for the rest of his life he was cared for by guardians.
Extra Connections: Cousin of [cousin of] Dryden*.
Influenced by poet [influenced by] Marvell* and writer [influenced by] Charles Perrault*.
He knew writer [knew] Cibber*, [knew] Hogarth* (who painted his portrait), and [knew] James Graham* Duke of Montrose.
Influenced the novelist [influenced] Fielding* and the radical journalist [influenced] Cobbett*.
Physicist [inspired by] Boyle* said to have inspired “Gulliver.”
Was a close friend of [a pal of] Berkeley*, philosopher and scientist.
[edition by] Sir Walter Scott* published a collection of his works.
He knew about Eliza [knew about] Haywood*
Assessment: Swift was one of the central characters in the literary and political life of London.
Oneliner: Jonathan Swift, the greatest satirist in English
Bibliography:
- Collier's Encyclopaedia.
- Glendinning, Victoria, Jonathan Swift, London, Hutchinson, 1998.
- Ehrenpreis, I.,Jonathan Swift: the man, his works, the age, 2 vols, 1962-1967.
Father: Jonathan Swift
Mother: Abigail Erick (m. 1664)
Siblings: Jane
Spouse: None
Children: None