Biography of jonathan swift youtube

1. Biography of Jonathan Swift
2. Swift passed away on October 19,

Biography of Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish writer, satirist, publicist, philosopher, poet, and social activist. He is best known for his work "Gulliver's Travels," which was the culmination of his previous activities. Like all true satirists, Swift was primarily a moralist, denouncing the vices and follies of humanity in the name of virtue and common sense. In his will, Swift left money for the establishment of a hospital "for idiots and lunatics."

Swift was born and educated in Ireland. His father passed away before his birth, and his uncle, Godwin Swift, took on the responsibility of raising him. Swift received the best education available in Ireland at the time, first at Kilkenny College and then at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in The tense political situation in Dublin, caused by the deposition of James II () and his attempt to regain power with the support of his Irish followers (), forced Swift, like many other Englishmen in his circle, to leave Ireland for England. He then joined the service of his distant relative, William Temple, a writer, essayist, statesman, and diplomat, who lived in Moor Park, Surrey. Swift remained in this position until William's death in January

Following his family tradition, Swift took Anglican holy orders in and obtained a parish in Ireland. However, his passion for literature, influenced by the essayist Temple, led him away from religious duties. In philosophical and religious matters, he embraced Montaigne's skepticism in the Anglican interpretation, emphasizing the weakness, limitations, and fallibility of human reason. His ethical teachings emphasized rationalism and the need for strict regulation of emotions in accordance with common sense. His historical ideas were based on the concept of historical variability, rooted in late Renaissance theories of the "circulation of different forms of government."

If we disregard Swift's early insignificant poetic attempts, the first period of his work opens with the masterpiece of English literature, "A Tale of a Tub," and its accompanying works "The Battle of the Books" and "A Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit." They were published in in a book with a single title, but the final text appeared only in the fifth edition (). At first, the reader gets the impression of a chaotic narrative. This impression is reinforced by the idiom used in the title (in English, "tale of a tub" also meant "miscellany" or "hodgepodge"), and is intensified by the presence of numerous digressions in the text. However, the external fragmentation of the narrative, reminiscent of the baroque satire, is counteracted by its internal, classically symmetrical composition. Swift's book was created in two stages - in and - and aimed to satirically denounce "the many gross corruptions in religion and learning." The foundation of the narrative in "A Tale of a Tub" is an "allegorical tale about three brothers and their coats," a plot that goes back to the popular parable of the three rings, as retold in Boccaccio's "Decameron" and other sources. Swift uses the plot of his allegory to allegorically convey the ritual history of Christianity from its birth to the end of the 17th century. A dying father (Christ) left his three sons identical coats (religion) and a will (the Bible) with "the most detailed instructions on how to wear the coats and keep them in order." For the first seven years (centuries), the three brothers - still indistinguishable by name - "religiously observed their father's will." But then, succumbing to the charms of the Duchess d'Argent (Avarice), Lady de Grands Titres (Ambition), and the Countess d'Orgueil (Pride), the brothers wished to change the appearance of their coats according to fashion. The first to succeed in this was one of them, who took the name Peter (symbolizing the papacy). Peter achieved his goal in two ways: through clever and arbitrary interpretations of the will and by referring to oral tradition. In the end, he completely took possession of the will, ceased to act sensibly in his behavior and sermons, and mistreated his brothers to the point that they joined him in the "great rupture" (the Reformation). Having gained control of the will, Jack and Martin (the names of the leaders of the Reformation, John Calvin and Martin Luther) were filled with a desire to fulfill their father's wishes and remove the decorations from their coats. However, "a sharp distinction in their characters immediately became apparent." Martin, symbolizing the Anglican Church, "was the first to lay hands" on his coat but "after a few energetic movements" paused and "resolved to act more cautiously" in accordance with common sense. Jack, symbolizing Puritanism, gave in to his feelings, which he began to call zeal, "tore his entire coat from top to bottom," embarked on "extraordinary adventures," and became the founder of the "Houyhnhnm" sect (a parody of Puritans).

Swift's first period of work concluded with the publication of "Gulliver's Travels" in This work is considered Swift's greatest achievement, combining his moralistic and satirical approach. "Gulliver's Travels" appears to be a tale of entertaining adventures, seemingly suitable for children. However, it is a profound satire in which Swift exposes the folly of mankind and keenly responds to the socio-political situation in 18th century England. Gulliver first lands in Lilliput, a country of dwarfs. The political disputes, court intrigues, and petty envy of the inhabitants of Lilliput appear particularly ridiculous in such a miniature society. He then visits Brobdingnag, a land of giants. When he praises England to them, it amuses them as much as the vanity of the Lilliputians amused him. During his third voyage, Gulliver travels to the flying island of Laputa (The Island of Magicians) and the land of the Struldbrugs. These nations have taken pedantry and literary literalism to the extreme, perverted history by constantly rewriting it, and have experienced the curse of what seems to be an elusive immortality. Finally, Gulliver travels to the land of the Houyhnhnms, where noble and highly rational horses rule, and the Yahoos, who are human-like creatures degraded to such an extent that their appearance and behavior reveal how low a human can fall if passions dominate reason.

Swift wrote many of his best poems in , and the conception of "Gulliver's Travels" was realized in the years immediately preceding its publication in

Swift passed away on October 19,