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JONATHAN SWIFT (1667-1745) - Coggle Diagram
JONATHAN SWIFT
(1667-1745)
born and educated in Dublin (English parents)
Back in England in 1688 (Glorious Revolution), he became secretary to Sir William Temple (a Whig statesman), who encouraged him to write his
satyrical works
The Battle of the Books
(1704)
Swift supported Temple's defence of the classics and mocked the self-satisfaction of modern scholarship
A Tale of a Tub
(1704)
About Catholic superstistion and Dissenter fanaticism
1694
he was ordained
Anglican priest
1713
Dean of Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral
defense of Ireland and his church, in opposition to the Whig government in London
PAMPHLETS to denounce the injustices Ireland suffered from
The Drapier's Letters
(1724-25)
he assumed to be M.B.Drapier and attacked the government about the proposal for a new coinage that would have increased poverty
1726
TRAVELS INTO SEVERAL REMOTE NATIONS OF THE WORLD (GULLIVER'S TRAVELS)
FOUR
SETTINGS
, each one gives Swift the opportunity to speak about what he felt wrong in mankind and in British society
The land of
Brobdingnag
a race of giants make him feel like a Lilliputian
The island of
Laputa
satire of the Scientific community in Britain
The land of
Lilliput
a childhood fantasy world built for very small people (the tallest: 6 inches=15 cm)
Gulliver is a benevolent giant among people who have exaggerated ideas about their self-importance
he must use wits to survive
The land of
Houyhnhnms
a country governed by intellectual horses, Swift has the opportunity to criticise humanity
PLOT
Book 2
Gulliver sails for India on 20 June 1702 but finds himself in Brobdingnag, in Alaska, where the natives are giant and his carried around in a cage as the king's pet. The king enjoys talking with him about the system of Government in England and Europe. One day a huge bird lifts up his cage and drops it in the Ocean, where he is rescued and brought back to England.
Book 3
The Island of Laputa flies thanks to magnetism and is inhabited by philosophers, astronomers and scientists who carry out absurd experiments, in particular in the academy of the capital, Lagado. The island drops Gulliver on Japan and he manages to go back to England.
familiarity with the works of the Royal Society
Book 1
Gulliver sails from Briston on 4 May 1699. After six months he is cast upon Lilliput, where he falls asleep, The inhabitants carry his body to the capital and house him in a temple. Gulliver learns their language and customs and, after some experiences, goes back to England.
Book 4
On the Island of Houyhnhnms, intelligent horses rule over the Yahoos, stupid and corrupt creatures similar to human beings. He is ashamed of his similarity with the Yahoos and when the horses banish him and he returns to England, he understands that he can't any longer bear the society he lived in. So, he decides to live in the stable among the animals that reminds him the nobility of the Houynhnhnms
written in 1721-25
GULLIVER
typical European: middle-aged, well-educated and sensible, a
practical seaman
like Robinson Crusoe
develops a
critical awareness of the limitations of European values
during his travels, he changes gradually every time he returns home
SOURCES
17th century literature of travel
used by French writers as a vehicle for their theories
(innate light of reason)
European man as the victim of civilisation
Swift's difference:
the people of his settings live in organised societies governed by institutions
political allusions
to the events in the England of Queen Anne and George I
LEVELS OF INTERPRETATION
a tale for children
a political allegory
a satire of the conflicts of the time, caused by scientific progress
result of Swift's mental disorders
STYLE
matter-of-fact prose
details and precision
first person
like
Robinson Crusoe
1729
A modest proposal
Ironic suggestion to sell Irish people's children as food for the rich to relieve poverty
1745
He died after years of decay of his mental facullties
Controversial writer
conservative
considered himself a
hater of man
(man: an animal capable of reason)
ironic and satiric
parody
: he combined ironic intent with simple style
considered a misanthrope,a monster or a mankind lover