11 Jonathan Swift

null Jonathan Swift 乔纳森·斯威夫特 (1667—1745) Jonathan Swift 乔纳森·斯威夫特 (1667—1745) Jonathan Swift (1667—1745)Jonathan Swift (1667—1745)LifeLife Jonathan Swift (1667-1745),a posthumous child, was born in Dublin, Ireland, of an English family. His father died before he was born; his mother was poor, and Swift was compelled to accept aid from relatives to finish his education at Kilkenny Grammar School and then Dublin University. After graduation, between 1689 and 1699, he worked as a private secretary to a distant kinsman Sir William Temple, a retired diplomat. At Temple’s HouseAt Temple’s House During those years Swift read widely and had time to put his general ideas in order and discover his talent as  a prose satirist. And there he also received a first-rate education in politics through contact with Temple and many other well-known politicians, learning much about the vice, hypocrisy, intrigues, deception and corruption in the political world. From 1699 to 1701 he was at different clerical posts in Ireland. In 1704 he published two powerful satires on corruption in religion and learning: A Tale of a Tub (1704) and The Battle of the Books (written in 1679, published in 1704), which established his name as a satirist. LoveLoveAt Temple’s House, he met Esther Johnson (March 18, 1681 – January 28, 1728) , then 8 years old, the fatherless daughter of one of the household servants. Swift acted as her tutor and mentor, giving her the nickname "Stella" and the two maintained a close, but ambiguous relationship for the rest of Esther's life. nullAlso during the years in London, Swift became acquainted with the Vanhomrigh family and became involved with one of the daughters, Esther, yet another fatherless young woman. Esther followed Swift to Ireland in 1714, where there appears to have been a confrontation, possibly involving Esther Johnson. Esther Vanhomrigh died in 1723 at the age of 35. IllnessIllnessOn 28 January 1728, Esther Johnson died. Death became a frequent feature in Swift's life from this point. In 1738 Swift began to show signs of illness and in 1742 he appears to have suffered a stroke, losing the ability to speak and realizing his worst fears of becoming mentally disabled. However, it was long believed by many that Swift was really insane at this point. nullIn part VIII of his series, The Story of Civilization, Will Durant describes the final years of Swift's life as such: "Definite symptoms of madness appeared in 1738. In 1741 guardians were appointed to take care of his affairs and watch lest in his outbursts of violence he should do himself harm. In 1742 he suffered great pain from the inflammation of his left eye, which swelled to the size of an egg; five attendants had to restrain him from tearing out his eye. He went a whole year without uttering a word."[2] DeathDeathIn 1744, Alexander Pope died. Then, on October 19, 1745, Swift died. After being laid out (to clothe and prepare (a corpse) for burial.) in public view for the people of Dublin to pay their last respects, he was buried in his own cathedral by Esther Johnson's side, in accordance with his wishes. The bulk of his fortune (twelve thousand pounds) was left to found a hospital for the mentally ill, originally known as St. Patrick’s Hospital for Imbeciles (A person whose mental acumen is well below par.), which opened in 1757, and which still exists as a psychiatric hospital. Main Works Main Works The Battle of the Books 《书的战争》 (the first notable work) 　The Ｔale of a Tub 《一个木桶的故事》 Gulliver’s Travels 《格列佛游记》 The Draper’s Letters《布商的书信》 A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public 《一个温和的建议》nullnullnullGulliver’s Travels Gulliver’s Travels Gulliver's Travels , written in 1726 is the immortal work of Jonathan Swift. Though it's been labeled a children's book, it's also a great satire of the times that is pretty much beyond most children. It shows Jonathan's desire to encourage people to read deeper and not take things for granted: readers who paid attention could match all of Gulliver's tall tales with current events and long-term social problemsnull1. The voyage in Lilliput In the first part, Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon on a merchant ship, relates his ship wreck to the island of Lilliput, the inhabitants of which are six inches high, with everything on the island being in the proportion of one inch to one foot as compared with things we know of. Owing to this diminutive scale, the aggressiveness of the inhabitants are satirized in the description of the wearers of high heels and low heels, of the controversy on the question whether eggs should be broken at the big or small end, and the war with their neighbors across the channel . null2.The voyage in Brobdingnag In the second part, Gulliver is accidentally left ashore on Brobdingnag ,where the inhabitants are as steeples and everything else is in proportion. null3.The voyage in the flying island of Laputa The third part is occupied with a visit to the flying island of laputa. Here the satire is directed against philosophers, men of science, and historians. null4. The voyage in Houyhnhnms This part describes the country of the Houyhnhnms, or horses endowed with reason. Here brutality of the yahoos, beasts in the shape of men is satirized. The lack of reason will make humans inferior as the Yahoos, controlled by animals with intelligence. (5) Gulliver’s Travels《格林佛游记》1706 Lilliput (小人国) a satire on the Tories(托利党) & the Whigs(辉格党)Brobdingnag(大人国)a satire on English lords and ladiesFlying Island（飞岛）a satire on corrupted philosopherscountry of horses(马岛) a satire on the conflicts of English societySwift’s WorksSwift’s Works Gulliver’s Travel, his masterpiece. 小说通过Gulliver到小人国、大人国、飞岛、 马岛等虚构国度离奇旅行和遭遇，集中反映了十八世 纪英国社会的各种矛盾，极其尖锐地讽刺和批判了英 国君主制度的腐败和丑恶，勇敢揭露了宫廷、议会、 军界、司法、文化、宗教等各领域的黑暗和罪恶，狠 狠地鞭打了英国统治者所推行的对外疯狂掠夺、对内 残酷剥削的血腥政策。Swift’s novel gives an unparalleled satirical depiction of the vices of the his age.nullIn this novel, Swift typified the bourgeois world, satirically portrayed the whole of the English State System. The power of Swift’s satire is that there is no visible sign of anger, nor the rising of voice; the tone is cold, restrained , ironic, varied only by some flashes of fooling ( tease, joke). Swift’s StyleSwift’s StyleOne of the greatest masters of English prose; simple, clear, vigorous language; simple, direct and precise prose; a master satirist; deadly(非常有效的) irony; powerful satire.