Jonathan Swift: 1667-1745

1. Jonathan Swift: 1667-1745 • Born in Dublin, Ireland. • At 19, he is employed by Sir William Temple a powerful English statesman. • Tutors 8 year old Esther “Stella” Johnson. • Develops Ménière’s Syndrome, a disturbance of the inner ear. • 1694: Deacon and later Priest in Dublin

2. Ménière’s Syndrome • Ménière's disease also called endolymphatic hydrops, is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance. • It is characterized by episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss. The hearing loss comes and goes for some time, alternating between ears, then becomes permanent.

3. Jonathan Swift • Falls in love with Jane “Varina” Waring. • 1696: returns to Temple’s service. Temple dies in1699. Series of clerical jobs in Ireland. • 1704: Tale of the Tub: satire on corruptions in religion and learning. Also Battle of the Books, a mock-epic on the debate between Ancients and Moderns.

4. Ancients and Moderns • During the European Renaissance it was common to praise recent discoveries and achievements as a way to assert the independence of modern culture from the institutions and wisdom inherited from Classical (Greek and Roman) authorities. • From the first years of the sixteenth century, one of the major reasoning used to this end by the most eminent humanists was the "Three Greatest Inventions of Modern Times" — the printing press, firearms, and the nautical compass — which together allowed the Moderns to communicate, exert power, and travel at distances never imagined by the Ancients

5. Ancients and Moderns • We see this all the time. • Is anything new? • Has it all been done before?

6. Satire • Can you define it?

7. Satire • Can you define it? • Dictionary Definition: • n. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. • n. The branch of literature constituting such works. • n. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity. • Irony? • Caustic? • Sarcasm?

8. Satire • Can you define it? • Dictionary Definition: • n. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. • n. The branch of literature constituting such works. • n. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity. • Irony=the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. “How nice!” • Caustic=severely critical or sarcastic or capable of burning, corroding, or destroying tissue • Sarcasm=harsh or bitter derision (insult) or irony.

9. Satire • Why satire? • Why did Swift use satire?

10. Satire • Laughter and ridicule are two powerful tools for social changes • Satire can show and criticize wrongdoings, abuses and unfair practices • If anyone tried to accuse Swift of treason, he could say that his stories were just pretend fairy tales. • Swift was very good at pointing out greed, pride, poverty, poor government and social injustices. • Why read his stuff?

11. Satire • Laughter and ridicule are two powerful tools for social changes • Satire can show and criticize wrongdoings, abuses and unfair practices • If anyone tried to accuse Swift of treason, he could say that his stories were just pretend fairy tales. • Swift was very good at pointing out greed, pride, poverty, poor government and social injustices. • Why read his stuff? • His writings about the way people can feel and act are just as true today as when he wrote in the 1700’s.

12. Jonathan Swift • 1707: Involved with The Tatler. Adopts pseudonym Issac Bickerstaff. • 1720: Involved with Irish causes. • 1729: A Modest Proposal • 1726: Gulliver’s Travels • 1742: establishes site for insane asylum (St. Patrick’s Hospital)

14. Swift’s World • He received a doctorate degree in religious studies in 1702 • He became interested in English politics and was a good debater • He became active in politics and worked for a government official as a secretary • He saw a lot of things in the way the wealthy, educated people treated the poor and uneducated that he did not like • He wanted to show the wealthy how they really looked to others • He wanted to see change in government policies

15. Swift’s World • The early 1700’s were a time when there was a great demand for social, political and economic change in England and Ireland • At this time and place there was no such thing as freedom of speech and freedom of the press • If an author was not careful, he could be jailed, charged with treason, and not be able to print his stories (remember the king was in charge) • Using satire, Jonathan Swift was able to tell stories about make believe people and places when he was really making fun of English government and political figures.

16. Swift’s World • The early 1700’s were a time when there was a great demand for social, political and economic change in England and Ireland • At this time and place there was no such thing as freedom of speech and freedom of the press • If an author was not careful, he could be jailed, charged with treason, and not be able to print his stories (remember the king was in charge) • Using satire, Jonathan Swift was able to tell stories about make believe people and places when he was really making fun of English government and political figures.

17. A Modest Proposal • Named after a captain, Lemeur Gulliver. • The book is written as if it was an autobiography.

18. Gulliver’s Travels • The story is about an English doctor named Lemuel Gulliver. • He takes 4 voyages, or trips, in a ship. • In the 1700’s, books about travel were very popular to read (sort of like how vampire books like Twilight are popular today). • Gulliver’s Travels is written likethe popular travel books of the time as a way of making fun of the genre, or kind, of books. • Jonathan Swift thought that people should spend more time thinking of ways to solve the problems where they lived than on reading books about other places.

19. Gulliver’s Travels • The name Gulliver suggests the word gullible. This may suggest that the character is too easily tricked or will believe anything . • This novel explores the world of men and what it means to be human. • Remember that Swift was a man who saw wrongs in government and people, and he wanted to make changes in the actions of both.

20. Gulliver’s Travels - Overview • The book contains four parts, each dealing with one particular voyage during which Gulliver meets with extraordinary adventures on some remote island after he has met with shipwreck of piracy of some other misfortune.

21. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 1 • The first part tells about his experience in Lilliput, where the inhabitants are only six inches tall), twelve times smaller than the normal human beings. • The emperor believed himself to be the delight and terror of the universe, but it appeared quite absurd to Gulliver who was twelve times as tall as he.

22. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 1 • In his account of the two parties in the country, distinguished by the use of high and low heels, Swift satirizes the Tories and the Whigs in England. • Religious disputes were laughed at in an account of a problem which divided the Lilliputians. • YOU’LL HAVE TO READ THE BOOK TO SEE THE PROBLEM… • Yes, it will be a test question.

23. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 2 • In the second part, Gulliver is left alone in Brobdingnag where people are not only ten times taller and larger than ordinary human beings, but also superior in wisdom. • Gulliver now finds himself a dwarf among men sixth feet in height. The king regards Europe as if it were an anthill.

24. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 3 • The third part deals with mainly with his accidental visit to the flying Island, where the philosophers and projectors devote all their time and energy to the study of some absurd problems. • Their scientists are engaged in projects for exacting sunbeams out of cucumbers, turning ice into gunpowder and making cloth from cobweb. • It is a parody on professors and teachers.

25. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 3 • There is also a discussion of women here. • Test question? • Test question.

26. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 4 • The last part is a most interesting account of his discoveries in the Houyhnhnm land, where horses are endowed with reason and all good and admirable qualities, and are the governing class. • People run wild through the woods as naked “yahoos”. • This is where we get the word, yahoo.

27. Gulliver’s Travels – PART 4 • Contrary to the Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos possess every conceivable evil. • They are malicious, spiteful, envious, unclean and greedy. • Gulliver admires the life and ways of the horses, as much as he is disgusted with the Yahoos, whose relations remind him of those existing in English society to such a degree that he shudders at the prospect of returning to his native land.

28. Gulliver’s Travels – Things to think about while you read. Setting- traveling to different islands by ship Gulliver- narrator, first person, and protagonist of the story Antagonists- various characters from the different islands Themes 1. What is better for rules of behavior? Being physically stronger or morally correct? 2. Individual rights vs. society 3. Humans are not meant to understand everything Tone- use of irony and satire

29. Gulliver’s Travels – SCHEDULE • Part I, Chapter I • Part I, Chapters II–III • Part I, Chapters IV–V • Part I, Chapters VI–VIII • Part II, Chapters I–II • Part II, Chapters III–V • Part II, Chapters VI–VIII • Part III, Chapters I–III • Part III, Chapters IV–XI • Part IV, Chapters I–IV • Part IV, Chapters V–XII • 2/3/16 • 2/10 • 2/17 • 2/24 • 3/2 • 3/9 • 3/16 • 3/23 • 3/30 • 4/6 (This is spring break) • 4/13 • (Only have 6 weeks left)