The author
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
Swift is remembered for works such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument against Abolishing Christianity and A Tale of a Tub. He is regarded by the Encyclopedia Britannica as the foremost pro satirist in the English language, and is less well known for his poetry. He originally published all of his works under pudonyms – such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, Drapier's Letters as MB Drapier – or anonymously. He is also known for being a master of two styles of satire, the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.
1. He was born in a poor family in Dublin, Ireland. His father died before his birth.
2. He graduated from Trinity College in Dublin but he was a rebellious student there. He didn’t want to join the church.
3. He worked in a nobleman’s hou and it was a bitter experience for him becau he was treated as a rvant.
4. He first supported Whig and then Tory and then left the political circle. He was good at political writing and once a very popular character.
5. After he left political circle he returned to Ireland and became a dean. He wrote a lot of pamphlets to protest the unjust policies of English government to Ireland.
6. Becau of a brain dia, Swift became insane and died mirably.
The works
1 A Tale of a Tub(1697)《一个木桶的故事》
2 Battle of the Books(1697)《书籍之战》
3. The Drapier's Letters(1724)《布商的信》
4. Gulliver 's Travels(1726)《格列佛游记》
5. A Modest Proposal（1729）《一个温和的建议》
The style
Simple, clear, vigorous languages;
Simple, direct and preci pro;
A master satirist;
deadly(非常有效的）irony；
Powerful satire.
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, commonly known as Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), is a pro satire[1][2] by Irish writer and clergyman Jonat
han Swift, that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travelers’' tales" literary subgenre.
1.1 Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput
1.2 Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag
1.3 Part III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan
1.4 Part IV: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms
Theme:
A satirical view of the state of European government, and of petty differences between religions
An inquiry into whether men are inherently corrupt or whether they become corrupted
A restatement of the older "ancients versus moderns" controversy previously addresd by Swift in The Battle of the Books
Characters
Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput[edit]
4 May 1699[4] – 13 April 1702[5]
Mural depicting Gulliver surrounded by citizens of Lilliput.
The book begins with a short preamble in which Lemuel Gulliver, in the style of books of the time, gives a brief outline of his life and history before his voyages. He enjoys travelling, although it is that love of travel that is his downfall. During his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and finds himlf a prisoner of a race of tiny
people, less than 6 inches tall, who are inhabitants of the island country of Lilliput. After giving assurances of his good behaviour, he is given a residence in Lilliput and becomes a favourite of the court. From there, the book follows Gulliver's obrvations on the Court of Lilliput. He is also given the permission to roam around the city on a condition that he must not harm their subjects. Gulliver assists the Lilliputians to subdue their neighbours, the Blefuscudians, by stealing their fleet. However, he refus to reduce the island nation of Blefuscu to a province of Lilliput, displeasing the King and the court. Gulliver is charged with treason for, among other crimes, "making water" (urination) in the capital, though he was putting out a fire and saving countless lives. He is convicted and ntenced to be blinded, but with the assistance of a kind friend, he escapes to Blefuscu. Here he spots and retrieves an abandoned boat and sails out to be rescued by a passing ship, which safely takes him back home. This book of the Travels is a typical political satire.
Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag[edit]
20 June 1702[6] – 3 June 1706[7]
Gulliver Exhibited to the Brobdingnag Farmer (painting byRichard Redgrave)
When the sailing ship Adventure is blown off cour by storms and forced to sail for land in arch of fresh water, Gulliver is abandoned by his companions and found by a farmer who is 72 feet (22 m) tall (the scale of Brobdingnag is about 12:1, compared to Lilliput's 1:12, judging from Gulliver estimating a man's step being 10 yards (9.1 m)). He brings Gulliver home and his daughter cares for Gulliver. The farmer treats him as a curiosity and exhibits him for money. After a while the constant shows make Lemuel sick, and the farmer lls him to the queen of the realm. The farmer's daughter (who accompanied her father while exhibiting Gulliver) is taken into the queen's rvice to take care of the tiny m
an. Since Gulliver is too small to u their huge chairs, beds, knives and forks, the queen commissions a small hou to be built for him so that he can be carried around in it; this is referred to as his 'travelling box'. Between small adventures such as fighting giant wasps and being carried to the roof by a monkey, he discuss the state of Europe with the King. The King is not happy with Gulliver's accounts of Europe, especially upon learning of the u of guns and cannons. On a trip to the aside, his travelling box is ized by a giant eagle which drops Gulliver and his box into the a, where he is picked up by some sailors, who return him to England. This book compares the truly moral man to the reprentative man; the latter is clearly shown to be the lesr of the two. Swift, being in Anglican holy orders, was keen to make such comparisons.
