英语故事Jonathan Swift.docx
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英语故事Jonathan Swift.docx
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英语故事JonathanSwift
英语故事
JonathanSwift
乔纳森·斯威夫待是英国启蒙运动中激进民主派的创始人,18世纪英国最杰出的政论家和讽刺小说家。
JonathanSwift
JonathanSwift(30November1667–19October1745)wasanAnglo-Irishsatirist,essayist,politicalpamphleteer(firstfortheWhigs,thenfortheTories),poetandclericwhobecameDeanofStPatrick’sCathedral,Dublin.
SwiftisrememberedforworkssuchasGulliver’sTravels,AModestProposal,AJournaltoStella,Drapier’sLetters,TheBattleoftheBooks,AnArgumentAgainstAbolishingChristianityandATaleofaTub.HeisregardedbytheEncyclopædiaBritannicaastheforemostprosesatiristintheEnglishlanguageandislesswellknownforhispoetry.Heoriginallypublishedallofhisworksunderpseudonyms–suchasLemuelGulliver,IsaacBickerstaff,Drapier’sLettersasMBDrapier–oranonymously.Heisalsoknownforbeingamasteroftwostylesofsatire,theHoratianandJuvenalianstyles.
Hisdeadpan,ironicwritingstyle,particularlyinAModestProposal,hasledtosuchsatirebeingsubsequentlytermed“Swiftian”.
Biography
Youth
JonathanSwiftwasborninDublin,Ireland.HewasthesecondchildandonlysonofJonathanSwift(1640–1667)andhiswifeAbigailErick(orHerrick),ofFrisbyontheWreake.Hisfather,anativeofGoodrich,Herefordshire,accompaniedhisbrotherstoIrelandtoseektheirfortunesinlawaftertheirRoyalistfather’sestatewasbroughttoruinduringtheEnglishCivilWar.Swift’sfatherdiedinDublinaboutsevenmonthsbeforehewasborn.HismotherreturnedtoEnglandafterhisbirth,leavinghiminthecareofhisinfluentialuncle,Godwin,aclosefriendandconfidantofSirJohnTemple,whosesonlateremployedSwiftashissecretary.
Swift’sfamilyhadseveralinterestingliteraryconnections:
hisgrandmother,Elizabeth(Dryden)Swift,wasthenieceofSirErasmusDryden,grandfatherofthepoetJohnDryden.Thesamegrandmother’saunt,Katherine(Throckmorton)Dryden,wasafirstcousinofElizabeth,wifeofSirWalterRaleigh.Hisgreat-greatgrandmother,Margaret(Godwin)Swift,wasthesisterofFrancisGodwin,authorofTheManintheMoonewhichinfluencedpartsofSwift’sGulliver’sTravels.Hisuncle,ThomasSwift,marriedadaughterofthepoetandplaywrightSirWilliamDavenant,agodsonofWilliamShakespeare.
Swift’suncleGodwinSwift(1628–1695),abenefactor,tookprimaryresponsibilityfortheyoungJonathan,sendinghimwithoneofhiscousinstoKilkennyCollege(alsoattendedbythephilosopherGeorgeBerkeley).In1682,financedbyGodwin’ssonWilloughby,heattendedDublinUniversity(TrinityCollege,Dublin),fromwhichhereceivedhisB.A.in1686,anddevelopedhisfriendshipwithWilliamCongreve.Swiftwasstudyingforhismaster’sdegreewhenpoliticaltroublesinIrelandsurroundingtheGloriousRevolutionforcedhimin1688toleaveforEngland,wherehismotherhelpedhimgetapositionassecretaryandpersonalassistantofSirWilliamTempleatMoorPark,Farnham.TemplewasanEnglishdiplomatwho,havingarrangedtheTripleAllianceof1668,hadretiredfrompublicservicetohiscountryestatetotendhisgardensandwritehismemoirs.Gaininghisemployer’sconfidence,Swift“wasoftentrustedwithmattersofgreatimportance”.Withinthreeyearsoftheiracquaintance,TemplehadintroducedhissecretarytoWilliamIIIandsenthimtoLondontourgetheKingtoconsenttoabillfortriennialParliaments.
WhenSwifttookuphisresidenceatMoorPark,hemetEstherJohnson,theneightyearsold,thedaughterofanimpoverishedwidowwhoactedascompaniontoTemple’ssister,LadyGiffard.Swiftactedashertutorandmentor,givingherthenickname“Stella”,andthetwomaintainedaclosebutambiguousrelationshipfortherestofEsther’slife.
In1690,SwiftleftTempleforIrelandbecauseofhishealthbutreturnedtoMoorParkthefollowingyear.Theillness,fitsofvertigoorgiddiness–nowknowntobeMénière’sdisease—wouldcontinuetoplagueSwiftthroughouthislife.DuringthissecondstaywithTemple,SwiftreceivedhisM.A.fromHartHall,Oxfordin1692.Then,apparentlydespairingofgainingabetterpositionthroughTemple’spatronage,SwiftleftMoorParktobecomeanordainedpriestintheEstablishedChurchofIreland,andin1694hewasappointedtotheprebendofKilrootintheDioceseofConnor,withhisparishlocatedatKilroot,nearCarrickfergusinCountyAntrim.
Swiftappearstohavebeenmiserableinhisnewposition,beingisolatedinasmall,remotecommunityfarfromthecentresofpowerandinfluence.WhileatKilroot,however,SwiftmaywellhavebecomeromanticallyinvolvedwithJaneWaring,whomhecalled“Varina”,thesisterofanoldcollegefriend.Aletterfromhimsurvives,offeringtoremainifshewouldmarryhimandpromisingtoleaveandneverreturntoIrelandifsherefused.Shepresumablyrefused,becauseSwiftlefthispostandreturnedtoEnglandandTemple’sserviceatMoorParkin1696,andheremainedthereuntilTemple’sdeath.TherehewasemployedinhelpingtoprepareTemple’smemoirsandcorrespondenceforpublication.DuringthistimeSwiftwroteTheBattleoftheBooks,asatirerespondingtocriticsofTemple’sEssayuponAncientandModernLearning(1690),thoughBattlewasnotpublisheduntil1704.
Templediedon27January1699.Swift,normallyaharshjudgeofhumannature,saidthatallthatwasgoodandamiableinhumankindhaddiedwithTemple.SwiftstayedonbrieflyinEnglandtocompletetheeditingofTemple’smemoirs,andperhapsinthehopethatrecognitionofhisworkmightearnhimasuitablepositioninEngland.Unfortunately,Swift’sworkmadeenemiesamongsomeofTemple’sfamilyandfriends,inparticularTemple’sformidablesister,LadyGiffard,whoobjectedtoindiscretionsincludedinthememoirs.Swift’snextmovewastoapproachKingWilliamdirectly,basedonhisimaginedconnectionthroughTempleandabeliefthathehadbeenpromisedaposition.ThisfailedsomiserablythatheacceptedthelesserpostofsecretaryandchaplaintotheEarlofBerkeley,oneoftheLordsJusticeofIreland.However,whenhereachedIrelandhefoundthatthesecretaryshiphadalreadybeengiventoanother.HesoonobtainedthelivingofLaracor,Agher,andRathbeggan,andtheprebendofDunlavininStPatrick’sCathedral,Dublin.
AtLaracor,justoverfourandhalfmiles(7.5km)fromSummerhill,CountyMeath,andtwentymiles(32km)fromDublin,Swiftministeredtoacongregationofaboutfifteenandhadabundantleisureforcultivatinghisgarden,makingacanal(aftertheDutchfashionofMoorPark),plantingwillows,andrebuildingthevicarage.AschaplaintoLordBerkeley,hespentmuchofhistimeinDublinandtravelledtoLondonfrequentlyoverthenexttenyears.In1701,Swiftanonymouslypublishedapoliticalpamphlet,ADiscourseontheContestsandDissentionsinAthensandRome.
Majorproseworks
Swift’sfirstmajorprosework,ATaleofaTub,demonstratesmanyofthethemesandstylistictechniqueshewouldemployinhislaterwork.Itisatoncewildlyplayfulandfunnywhilebeingpointedandharshlycriticalofitstargets.Initsmainthread,theTalerecountstheexploitsofthreesons,representingthemainthreadsofChristianity,whoreceiveabequestfromtheirfatherofacoateach,withtheaddedinstructionstomakenoalterationswhatsoever.However,thesonssoonfindthattheircoatshavefallenoutofcurrentfashion,andbegintolookforloopholesintheirfather’swillthatwillletthemmaketheneededalterations.Aseachfindshisownmeansofgettingaroundtheirfather’sadmonition,theystrugglewitheachotherforpoweranddominance.Insertedintothisstory,inalternatingchapters,thenarratorincludesaseriesofwhimsical“digressions”onvarioussubjects.
In1690,SirWilliamTemple,Swift’spatron,publishedAnEssayuponAncientandModernLearningadefenceofclassicalwriting(seeQuarreloftheAncientsandtheModerns),holdinguptheEpistlesofPhalarisasanexample.WilliamWottonrespondedtoTemplewithReflectionsuponAncientandModernLearning(1694),showingthattheEpistleswerealaterforgery.AresponsebythesupportersoftheAncientswasthenmadebyCharlesBoyle(laterthe4thEarlofOrreryandfatherofSwift’sfirstbiographer).AfurtherretortontheModernsidecamefromRichardBentley,oneofthepre-eminentscholarsoftheday,inhisessayDissertationupontheEpistlesofPhalaris(1699).ThefinalwordsonthetopicbelongtoSwiftinhisBattleoftheBooks(1697,published1704)inwhichhemakesahumorousdefenceonbehalfofTempleandthecauseoftheAncients.
In1708,acobblernamedJohnPartridgepublishedapopularalmanacofastrologicalpredictions.BecausePartridgefalselydeterminedthedeathsofseveralchurchofficials,SwiftattackedPartridgeinPredictionsfortheEnsuingYearbyIsaacBickerstaff,aparodypredictingthatPartridgewoulddieon29March.Swiftfollowedupwithapamphletissuedon30MarchclaimingthatPartridgehadinfactdied,whichwaswidelybelieveddespitePartridge’sstatementstothecontrary.Accordingtoothersources,RichardSteeleusesthepersonaeofIsaacBickerstaffandwastheonewhowroteaboutthe“death”ofJohnPartridgeandpublisheditinTheSpectator,notJonathanSwift.
Drapier’sLetters(1724)wasaseriesofpamphletsagainstthemonopolygrantedbytheEnglishgovernmenttoWilliamWoodtoprovidetheIrishwithcoppercoinage.ItwaswidelybelievedthatWoodwouldneedtofloodIrelandwithdebasedcoinageinordertomakeaprofit.Inthese“letters”Swiftposedasashop-keeper—adraper—tocriticisetheplan.Swift’swritingwassoeffectiveinunderminingopinionintheprojectthatarewardwasoffered
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