Historical Figures Codexery

Jonathan Swift

Anglo-Irish satirist and author of Gulliver's Travels.

Swift's father died before he was born, and his mother left him in the care of his uncle in Dublin.[1][2] Swift earned his B.A. in 1686 and was studying for his master's degree when the Glorious Revolution forced him to leave for England in 1688.[3][4] Swift was ordained a priest in the Church of Ireland in 1694 and was appointed to the prebend of Kilroot near Carrickfergus.[5] At age six, Swift began attending Kilkenny College; in 1682, he entered Trinity College Dublin, with his education funded by his uncle Godwin's son Willoughby.[6][7]

While serving as secretary to diplomat Sir William Temple at Moor Park in England, Swift met eight-year-old Esther Johnson, whom he tutored and nicknamed "Stella".[4][8] Trinity College Dublin awarded Swift a Doctor of Divinity degree in February 1702.[9] Swift's political involvement grew over time; he backed the Glorious Revolution and was initially a Whig party member.[10][11]

Quick Facts

Born
30 November 1667
Birthplace
Dublin, Ireland
Died
19 October 1745
Resting place
St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
Occupation
  • Writer
  • poet
  • satirist
  • political pamphleteer
  • reverend
Language
English
Education
Trinity College Dublin (BA)
Genres
  • Satire
  • parable
  • polemic
  • novel
  • essay
  • poetry
  • correspondence
  • imaginary voyage
  • other

Facts from the source article.

What the cited sources add

Cody also notes that Swift was early in his life a member of the Whig party.[11] Swift suffered a stroke in 1742, leaving him unable to speak.[1] Cody's analysis indicates Swift backed the Glorious Revolution out of concern that a Catholic monarchy and "Papist" absolutism might return.[11] Bewley's article ascribes Swift's later deterioration to what he called "terminal dementia".[12]

References

  1. "Jonathan Swift: Poetry Foundation", 2018. facts only, no text reused. poetryfoundation.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stephen DNB, p. 205. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stubbs (2016), pp. 86–90. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stephen DNB, p. 206. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae: The succession of the prelates Volume 3" Cotton, H. p. 266: Dublin, Hodges & Smith, 1848–1878. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edmund, "Elizabethan theater : essays in honor of S. Schoenbaum", Newark : University of Delaware Press; London; Cranbury, NJ : Associated University Presses, 1996, p. 38; Stephen DNB, p. 205. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alumni Dublinenses (Supplement), p. 116: a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–186 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stephen DNB, p. 208. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stephen DNB, pp. 215–217. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stephen DNB, p. 212.; Fox, "The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift", Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 36–39; Cody, "Jonathan Swift's Political Beliefs", Victorian Web; Cody, "Jonathan Swift's Political Beliefs", Victorian Web (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Cody, "Jonathan Swift's Political Beliefs", Victorian Web. facts only, no text reused. victorianweb.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Jonathan Swift" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bewley, Thomas H., "The Health of Jonathan Swift," Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1998;91:602–605. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jonathan Swift (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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