Jonathan Swift was a writer, poet, essayist, and religious man, best known for his satirical and critical style of social and political issues. The beginnings of his academic training, during the years 1681 and 1688, were governed by the religious order at Trinity College in Dublin.
Swift is known especially for being the writer of the work Gulliver's Travels, published anonymously in 1726. One of the most outstanding characteristics of this work is that it represents a critique of the society of the time, which was considered by Swift as vain and empty.
Biography
Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667, in Dublin, Ireland. At Trinity College, Dublin, he trained in Theology thanks to the help of his uncles, since he was an orphan by his father, also called Jonathan Swift, who died long before he was born.
After his studies, he met in Leicester, England, with his mother, Abigail Erick. Not long afterwards she moved to Surrey, England.
This transfer was due to the opportunity he had to exercise the position of secretary to the diplomat Sir William Temple, who was a distant relative of his mother and an important man, a member of Parliament.
Political and religious life
As Sir Temple's secretary, his duties were to write and keep accounts, but his performance was impeccable and in a short time he gained the trust of Temple, who was also his protector for 10 years. For this reason he came to have access to information on matters of great importance and he met King William III.
During his closeness with Temple, Swift met daughter, Esther Johnson, with whom he shared a series of intimate letters that were published posthumously in 1766 under the name Letters to Stella. Several rumors indicated that the two got married in secret, despite Johnson's young age, born on March 18, 1681.
Certain incompatibilities with his protector and work weariness caused Swift to leave his position and return to Dublin again. There he was ordained a priest in 1694 and worked for a year in Kilroot parish.
Once he reconciled his relationship with Sir William, he returned to England to participate in English politics, as well as becoming involved in religion and literature. In this period he wrote what was his first work: The battle between ancient and modern books, but it was not published until 1704.
The Dean of St. Patrick
The Irishman worked with Temple until January 1699, the year in which the latter died. Swift inherited the secretariat - though it was eventually taken over by someone else - and the chaplaincy of the Earl of Berkeley.
Given this, his working life returned to take the religious course and took charge of the churches of Laracor, Agher and Rathbeggan, in addition to the Dunlavin lover, in St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Dublin.
Simultaneously, he served as chaplain with Lord Berkeley and in 1701 they both returned to England, where Swift again devoted himself to literature, anonymously publishing a political pamphlet called A Discourse on the contests and dissension in Athens and Rome.
During the years 1710 and 1714 he served as an advisor to the Tory government, while in 1713 he was dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, but with difficulties due to discrepancies as Queen Anne.
His stay in Dublin was definitively finalized together with his partner Esther Vanhomrigh, the daughter of a Dublin merchant of Dutch origin, whom Swift called Vanessa (as well as Esther Johnson called Stella).
Depression
Swift suffered severe depression when he learned of Stella's death in 1728. At this time, the Irishman began to suffer from incipient symptoms of dementia, vertigo and mental decline.
Finally, he died on October 19, 1745 and was buried in the cathedral where he was dean, next to Stella's tomb.
The epitaph, written by himself, says: “Here lies the body of Jonathan Swift, D., dean of this cathedral, in a place where burning indignation can no longer lacerate his heart. Go, traveler, and try to imitate a man who was an irreducible defender of freedom ”.
Most of his money went to low-income people and to the provision of a madhouse built.
Plays
Swift's most recognized work is undoubtedly Gulliver's Travels, published anonymously in 1726, but its authorship was discovered not too late.
The text has a great satirical, political, social and philosophical content, but from which only the absurd and imaginary sense of its meaning has been taken, which led it to be a success in children's literature. In addition, because it is recognized worldwide, it has numerous adaptations for film and television.
- Three Sermons / Prayers.
- Cadenus and Vanessa.
- The benefit of Farting (1722).
- Letters from the draper (1724).
- The Grand Question Debated (1729).
- A modest proposal to prevent the children of the poor of Ireland from being a burden to their parents or to the country (1729).
- Verses on His Own Death (1731).
- Directions to Servants (1731).
- A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation (1731).
- The Lady's Dressing Room (1732).
- On Poetry, a Rhapsody (1733).
References
- Wikipedia (2018). Jonathan Swift. Taken from wikipedia.com.
- Lecturalia. Jonathan Swift. Taken from lecturalia.com.
- Biographies and Lives (2004-2018). Jonathan Swift. Taken from biografiasyvidas.com
- Cristian de la Oliva, Estrella Moreno (1999). Taken from Buscabiografía.com.
- Ecured (2018). Jonathan Swift. Taken from ecured.cu.
- José María Ridao (2008). The ignored side of Jonathan Swift. Taken from elpais.com
- Ecured (2018). Gulliver's Travels. Taken from ecured.cu.