Gulliver's Travels and Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667 in Ireland to English parents, Jonathan and Abigail. His father, Jonathan, died shortly after his birth, leaving his mother to raise him and his sister alone. In Ireland, Swift was dependent on a nanny for three years because his mother moved to England. The young man was educated because of the patronage of his Uncle, Godwin Swift. Godwin sent him to Kilkenny Grammar School at age six, which was one of the best primary schools in Ireland at the time. Although the transition from extreme poverty to a private school education was hard, he made it easier by becoming friends with William Congreve; a future poet. At age fourteen Godwin put him through Trinity College at Dublin where he completed his Bachelors Degree. Swift later completed his M. A. at Oxford in 1692. Swifts mother wanted him to be successful so, she sent him to go work as a secretary under Sir William Temple, an established essayist and graduate from Cambridge. Because Temple was a prominent parliamentary figure Swift was exposed too much literature during this time period (1689-1699), which shaped his books later on. While working under Sir William Temple, Swift lived in Moor Park, Farnham. During his time living at Moor Park he met Stella, also known as Ester Johnson, which influenced and inspired his work, Journal to Stella. Swift was ambitious and wanted to start a career working at the church however, his satirical works Tale of a Tub and Battle of the Books prevented Swift from getting a position in the church because they insulted Queen Anne. Although, these works insulted the Queen, they appealed to the public, when they were published in 1704, and established Swift as a prominent literary figure of the time. How...

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...nown as a satirist, poet and pamphleteer. He wrote 5 major Novels, but many more essays and poems. Swift was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral after death on October 19, 1745.

Works Cited

Case, Arthur E. "The Significance of `Gulliver's Travels ‘Gulliver’s Travels." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources In Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Cody, David. "Jonathan Swift: A Brief Biography” The Dancing Girl" by John Barlas." Hartwick College, 01 July 2000. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

"Gulliver's Travels." Novels for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski and Deborah A. Stanley. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 74-100. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Scott, Mark W. Authors & Artists for Young Adults. Michigan: Gale Research, 2001. Print.

Swift, Jonathan, and Michael Seidel. Gulliver's Travels. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.