Jonathan Swift

JonathanSwift乔纳森·斯威夫特（江奈生·斯威夫特）1667-1745Born30November1667,Dublin,IrelandDied19October1745(aged77)IrelandPennameM.B.Drapier,LemuelGulliver,IsaacBickerstaffOccupationsatirist,essayist,politicalpamphleteer,poet,priest1.AChronologyofSwift'sLife2.Swift’sStyleandArtisticFeatures3.Swift’sNotableworks1667SwiftwasbornonNovember30inDublin,Ireland.HisfatherdiedafewmonthsbeforeSwiftwasborn.SwiftwasbroughtupbyhisuncleGodwinandhegraduatedfromTrinityCollege,Dublin.1689-1699SwiftbecamesecretaryofSirWilliamTemple,afamousEnglishstatesman,atwhoseplacehemetmanyimportantpoliticiansandcametoknowmuchofthedirtyanddishonestpoliticsoftheday.Hespentabout10yearswithTempleuntilthelatter’sdeathin1699.Duringtheseyearshereadwidelyandstartedtowrite,andtherehemetEstherJohnsonwhothenbecamehis“Stella”.In1699Templedied,andSwiftreturnedtoIrelandandbecameaclergyman.Afterwardsheenteredthestrifeofpartypolitics.Atfirst,heservedtheWhigparty,butin1710hechangedovertotheTories.Forseveralyearshewasinvolvedinthehighestpoliticalcircles.1714FoundationofScriblerusClub;QueenAnnedied,andtheWhigsreturnedtopower,SwiftwentbacktoIrelandandbecameDeanofSt.Patrick'sCathedral.1718SwiftbegantopublishpamphletsonIrishproblems.GraduallyhebecameanIrishpatriot.1728On28JanuaryEstherJohnson(Stella)died.Swiftwasovercomebygrief.Hishealthstartedtodecline.1745SwiftdiedonOctober19inIreland.HenowrestsbesidehisbelovedStellainSt.Patrick'sCathedral,Dublin.TheScriblerusClubwasaninformalgroupoffriendsthatincludedJonathanSwift,AlexanderPope,JohnGay,JohnArbuthnot,HenrySt.JohnandThomasParnell.Theclubbeganasaprojectofsatirizingtheabusesoflearningwherevertheymightbefound,whichledtoTheMemoirsofMartinusScriblerus,anincompletesatiricalworkoftheclub.JonathanSwift'sGulliver'sTravelswaswrittenasapartofthisproject.Itisaparodyofvoyagenovelsaswellasasatiricallookatthevicesofmankind.Swift’sstyleandArtisticFeatures1.SatireSwiftisamasterofsatire.Hisironyisdeadly.Hissatireismaskedbyanoutwardgravityandanapparentearnestness.Thismakeshissatireallthemorepowerful.2.SimplicityandDirectnessSwiftisoneofthegreatestmasterofEnglishprose.Heoncesaid“Properwordsinproperplacesmakesthetruedefinitionofastyle.”⑴Hislanguageissimple,clear,andvigorous.⑵Insimple,directandpreciseprose,SwiftisunsurpassedinEnglishliterature.Swift’sNotableworksTheBattleoftheBooks《书的战争》（1704）ATaleofaTub《一只桶的故事》（1704）AJournaltoStella《斯特拉日记》（1710-1713）Drapier'sLetters《布商的信》（1724，1725）Gulliver'sTravels《格列佛游记》（1726）AModestProposal《一个小小的建议》(《一个温和的建议》)（1729）TheBattleoftheBooksSwiftwroteTheBattleoftheBooksin1697andpublisheditin1704.It’sasatirerespondingtocriticsofTemple'sEssayuponAncientandModernLearning(1690),asatiredefendingTemple'spositioninthecontemporaryliterarycontroversyastowhethertheworksoftheAncients—thegreatauthorsofclassicalantiquity—weretobepreferredtothoseoftheModerns.Becauseofthesatire,TheBattleoftheBookshasbecomeatermfortheQuarreloftheAncientsandtheModerns.ATaleofaTubIt’sSwift'sfirstmajorprosework.Initsmainthread,theTalerecountstheexploitsofthreesons,representingthemainthreadsofChristianity,whoreceiveabequestfromtheirfatherofacoateach,withtheaddedinstructionstomakenoalterationswhatsoever.However,thesonssoonfindthattheircoatshavefallenoutofcurrentfashion,andbegintolookforloopholesintheirfather'swillthatwillletthemmaketheneededalterations.Aseachfindshisownmeansofgettingaroundtheirfather'sadvice,theystrugglewitheachotherforpoweranddominance.ATaleofaTubisaprosesatireonthereligiousextremesrepresentedbyRomanCatholicismandCalvinism.Drapier'sLettersDrapier'sLetterswasaseriesofpamphletsagainstthemonopolygrantedbytheEnglishgovernmenttoWilliamWoodtoprovidetheIrishwithcoppercoinage.ItwaswidelybelievedthatWoodwouldneedtofloodIrelandwithdebasedcoinageinordertomakeaprofit.IntheselettersSwiftposedasashop-keeper—adrapier—inordertocriticizetheplan.Swift'swritingwassoeffectiveinunderminingopinionintheprojectthatarewardwasofferedbythegovernmenttoanyonedisclosingthetrueidentityoftheauthor.AModestProposalSwiftpublishedAModestProposalforPreventingtheChildrenofPoorPeopleinIrelandBeingaBurdentoTheirParentsorCountry,andforMakingThemBeneficialtothePublic,asatireinwhichthenarrator,withintentionallygrotesquelogic,recommendsthatIreland'spoorescapetheirpovertybysellingtheirchildrenasfoodtotherich.AModestProposalisamanifestationofSwift'ssenseofangerandfrustration,andassuchitismerelythemostsavage,themostbrutal,themostheavilyironic,ofthenumerouspamphletswhichheproducedduringtheearlyeighteenthcenturyinanattempttoshameEnglandandtoshockIrelandoutofitslethargicstate.ABriefIntroductionofGulliver’sTravelsBackgroundInformationTheauthorbegantowritethisnovelin1721anditwaspublishedin1726.Atthattime,thepoliticalsituationofBritishwasverycomplex.AftertheEnclosureMovement(圈地运动）,thepeasantslivedinpoorsituation.DuetotheGloriousRevolution,greatcontradictionappearedamonggovernors.Inaword,thewholesocietywasfullofcontradiction.FourPartsoftheNovelAVoyagetoLilliputAVoyagetoBrobdingnagAVoyagetoLaputa,Balnibarbi,Luggnagg,GlubbdubdribandJapanAVoyagetoHouyhnhnmsAVoyagetoLilliput(小人国)Gulliver’sshi