Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was the Irish-born writer of the 1726 Gulliver's Travels. Numerous works produced by him, which include A Modest Proposal, Drapier's Letters, A Tale of a Tub, and An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, are of satirical nature, which is how he is by far remembered today. In fact, Encyclopaedia Britannica refers to Swift as "the foremost prose satirist in the English language" (Encyclopaedia Britannica). In addition to his satirical works, he also composed many poems, essays, and political pamphlets.
Swift's satirical writing is clearly visible in the first part of Gulliver's Travels. As Swift reveals the thoughts of Gulliver as he observes Lilliputian customs and traditions, he compares the rather savage ways of the Lilliputians to European customs. For example, Swift compares the picky nature on the topic of egg-cracking of the Lilliputians causing war to the petty wars of Swift's time, such as the War of Devolution, the Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of Spanish Succession. Swift does acknowledge the presence of good law in the Lilliputian society; however, the ill-natured customs seem to take a predominant stance as the face of the island nation.
Swift also belonged to a class of writers known as philosophes, the spearhead figures of the Enlightenment. These writers challenged old European customs and developed new proposals for the "improvement of human condition and the reform of society" (Viault, 157). Other notable figures related to the Enlightenment were Voltaire (another notable satirist in his Candide), John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. While his Irish roots were not particularly compatible with the English subordination of the time period, Swift incorporated Enlightenment ideals to challenge British supremacy in Ireland.
Interestingly, Swift was plagued with what he described as "fits of vertigo or giddiness," of which is now believed to be Meniere's disease.
Adding to your idea's of Swift's satirical nature, it can also be noted that, along with their customs and societal functions, the mere size of the Lilliputians could also be seen as satirical. What's extremely intriguing to Gulliver also adds to the readers enjoyment. To many, such as myself, this satire is very enticing and makes putting the book down hard due to the fact that we want to see what clever thing Swift can do.
ReplyDeleteAlso something I found on Swift, which Cody seemed not to mention was the fact that he had little affiliation with a single side of politics. Siding first with the Whigs and using his satire as an attack on them, but as soon as he saw that they were on the downturn he moved to their opposition, the Torries, to continue the use of his satire in a form which would quickly spread through Britain.