Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swift". His trademark deadpan and ironic style of writing, particularly in works such as A Modest Proposal (1729), has led to such satire being subsequently termed as "Swiftian". He wrote the satirical book Gulliver's Travels (1726), which became his magnum opus and popularised the fictional island of Lilliput. Following the success and popularity of his works, Swift came to be regarded by many as the greatest satirist of the Georgian era, in addition to being considered one of the foremost prose satirists in the history of English literature. Swift also authored works such as A Tale of a Tub (1704) and An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity (1712). He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—including Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M. B. Drapier—or anonymously. He was a master of two styles of satire, the Horatian and Juvenalian styles. During the early part of his career, he travelled extensively in Ireland and Great Britain, and these trips helped develop his understanding of human nature and social conditions, which he would later depict in his satirical works. Swift was also very active in clerical circles, due to his affiliations to St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He had supported the Glorious Revolution and joined the Whigs party early on. Swift was related to many prominent figures of his time, including John Temple, John Dryden, William Davenant, and Francis Godwin. In 1700, Swift moved to Trim, County Meath, and many of his major works were written during this time. His writings reflected much of his political experiences of the previous decade, especially those with the British government under the Tories. Swift used several pseudonyms to publish his early works, with Isaac Bickerstaff being the most recognisable one. Scholars of his works have also suggested that these pseudonyms might have protected Swift from persecution in the politically sensitive conditions of England and Ireland under which he wrote many of his popular satires.