The Life of Jonathan Swift - (Wiley Blackwell Critical Biographies) by Thomas Lockwood (Paperback)

About the Book

"What we know directly of Swift's family history and childhood comes mostly from an unfinished ten-page manuscript account he wrote in later life called "Family of Swift," an eccentric and undependable document which nevertheless tells a story worth following. Swift's cousin once removed, Deane Swift, first printed this paper in 1755, along with his own additions and notes, saying that Swift wrote it sometime in the late 1720s, though more likely it was ten years later, when Swift was about 71. The narrative is characteristically detached in its third-person form but stuck in with shards of opinion, also characteristic: "a good deal of the Shrew in her Countenance." The first half of the account is devoted to his forebears on the Swift side, particularly his admired grandfather Thomas, who died some years before Swift was born, and his own part of the story cuts off when he is little more than thirty. Some of the details are wrong, as if he had worked purely from memory-always bad and getting worse by the time of this writing--though deliberate misrepresentation has been suggested too, unpersuasively if in some ways understandably: Swift did have a history of talking nonsense about his origins, in ways perhaps not always quite intended to be seen as he had been born in England, apparently because Swift told him so"--

Book Synopsis

Presents a fresh account of the life history and creative imagination of Jonathan Swift

Classic satires such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Tale of a Tub express radical positions, yet were written by the most conservative of men. Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin and spent most of his life in Ireland, never traveling outside the British Isles. An Anglo-Irish Protestant clergyman, he was a major political and religious figure whose career was primarily clerical, not literary. Although much is known about Swift, in many ways he remains an enigma. He was admired as an Irish patriot yet was contemptuous of the Irish. He was both secretive and self-dramatizing. His talent for friendship was matched by his skill for making enemies. He hated the English but yearned to live in England.

The Life of Jonathan Swift explores the writing life and personal history of the foremost satirist in the English language. Accessible and engaging, this critical biography brings Swift's writing and creative sensibility into the narrative of his life. Author Thomas Lockwood provides the historical and modern critical context of Swift's prose satires and poetry, as well as his political journalism, essays, manuscripts, and personal correspondence. Throughout the book, biographically contextualized descriptions of Swift's most famous works help readers better understand both the writing and the writer.

• Provides critical profiles of Gulliver's Travels, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, Drapier's Letters, and Swift's other famous works
• Offers insights into Swift's relationships with Esther Johnson, "Stella," and Esther Vanhomrigh, "Vanessa"
• Highlights Swift's poetry and how verse writing was a vital part of his creative being
• Summarizes and contextualizes lesser-known works such as The Conduct of the Allies
• Addresses the historic critical bias against comedy or satire as inferior forms of art, both in Swift's lifetime and the present

The Life of Jonathan Swift is an essential resource for general readers of literature and literary biography, university instructors and researchers, and undergraduate students taking courses in English literature.

From the Back Cover

BLACKWELL CRITICAL BIOGRAPHIES

Jonathan Swift, the conservative, Anglo-Irish Protestant clergyman, appears far removed from the controversial, oftentimes radical positions expressed in his works. Swift was seen as a hero by the Irish, a defender against English exploitation, yet was contemptuous of his countrymen. He hated the English, but he longed to live in England. Although much is known about Swift, in many ways he remains an enigma.

In The Life of Jonathan Swift, author Thomas Lockwood offers an engaging account of the personal history and extraordinary imagination of the foremost satirist in the English language. Exploring classic satires such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Tale of a Tub and An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, this highly readable critical biography describes the historical and modern critical context of Swift's satires, poetry, political pamphlets and essays, private manuscripts, personal letters, and more.

Bringing Swift's writing and creative sensibility into the narrative of his life, The Life of Jonathan Swift is an essential resource for general readers of literature and literary biography, university instructors and researchers, and undergraduate students of English literature.

About the Author

THOMAS LOCKWOOD is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of English at the University of Washington, Seattle. He has published widely on Fielding and other eighteenth-century subjects, including satire, journalism, theater history, and the novel. He is the editor of Henry Fielding: Plays, Volumes I-III and a contributor to A Companion to Literary Biography.