Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was a Irish satirist and Anglican cleric, author of Gulliver's Travels (1726), an allegory describing travel to lands inhabited by giants, miniature people, and intelligent horses.

Other works include The Tale of a Tub (1704), attacking corruption in religion and learning; contributions to the Tory paper The Examiner of which he was editor (1710-1711); A Modest Proposal (1729), which suggested that children of the poor should be eaten; and many essays and pamphlets.

Swift, born in Dublin, became secretary to the diplomat William Temple (1628-1699) at Moor Park, Surrey, where his friendship with the child 'Stella' (Hester Johnson 1681-1728) began in 1689. Returning to Ireland, he was ordained in the Church of England 1694, and in 1699 was made a prebendary of St Patrick's, Dublin in 1710 he became a Tory pamphleteer, and obtained the deanery of St Patrick in 1713.

His Journal to Stella is a series of letters, 1710-1713, in which he described his Life in London. 'Stelia' remained the love of his Life, but 'Vanessa' (Esther Vanhomrigh 1690-1723), a Dublin woman who had fallen in love with him, jealously wrote to her rival in 1723 and so shattered his relationship with both women. From about 1738 his mind began to fail.

---

Tags: cleric, author, editor, diplomat, pamphleteer, satirist

---

Category: Others  - ( Others Archive)

Date Added: 27 June '12

---

Add a link to this page on any related website, blog or forum using this code :

---