Jonathan Swift Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

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Jonathan Swift was a well known Anglo-Irish essayist, satirist, political pamphleteer, cleric, poet, and novelist. He is best remembered for his works like Gulliver’s Travels, A Tale of Tub, Drapier’s Letters, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, etc. The Encyclopedia Britannica has regarded Swift as the foremost English satirist. His poetry is less popular than is satirical proses. Swift used to originally publish his works under the pen names of Lemuel Gulliver, M.B. Drapier, Isaac Bickerstaff, Simon Wagstaff, etc., and anonymously. He was considered a master of 3 satire styles, the Juvenalian and Horatian styles. Swift had an ironic, deadpan style of writing that later got termed as ‘Swiftian’. Author Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 30, 1667. His parents were natives of Goodrich, Herefordshire. But, after the estate of his father was destroyed in the English Civil War, he accompanied his family to Ireland. After moving to Ireland, Swift’s father began practicing law. He died when 7 months before the birth of Swift.

When the author was one year old, he was taken to Whitehaven, Cumberland by his wet nurse. He stayed there for 2 years and learned reading the Bible before returning to his mother in Ireland at the age of 3. The family of Swift had several literary connections through his grandparents. They were related to literary personalities like John Dryden, Sir Walter Raleigh, Francis Godwin, Sir William Davenant, etc. When Swift was young, his responsibility was taken by his uncle, Godwin Swift. At six years of age, Godwin sent Swift to study at the Kilkenny College. As he had not learned Latin’s basic declensions he had to start at a lower level, but eventually graduated at the age of 15 in 1682. The same year, Swift enrolled himself at the Dublin University’s Trinity College with financial help from the son of Godwin, Willoughby. During the 4 year course, Swift mainly studied the priesthood of the Middle Ages, philosophy, Aristotelian logic, and basic debating skills. Subsequently, he earned his BA degree in 1686.

While Swift was pursuing a master’s degree, political instability arose in Ireland and forced him to move to England. With the help of his mother, he was able to get employed as a personal assistant and secretary of William Temple. As Temple was an important political personality, who had retired at that time, Swift benefitted very much by working under him. He was often sent to meet various prominent political personalities and also the king to discuss important matters of Temple’s behalf. In 1690, Swift’s health began deteriorating because of Meniere’s disease, forcing him to return to Ireland. This disease plagued Swift for the rest of his life. He came to work for Temple again and obtained his master’s degree from the Hart Hall in 1692. His high acquaintances helped Swift to become the priest of Ireland’s Established Church. He felt miserable in the new role and often hated the isolation in a remote community away from the centers of influence and power. In the meantime, Swift came across Jane Waring and got romantically involved with her.

Following the death of Temple in 1699, Swift tried to complete his unfinished, but was accused of using indiscretions by Temple’s family and close friends. So, he left that work and began working on his own writings. After 1700, Swift resided in Trim, County Meath. Many of his literary works were written during this period. In 1704, he wrote and published The Battle of Books and A Tale of a Tub. These books were appreciated by many and allowed Swift to gain popularity as a writer. His initial success also allowed him to develop close friendships with John Arbuthnot, Alexander Pope, and John Gay. While Swift was gaining a reputation for his work, he was also getting involved in controversies related to relationships with the women around him. One such controversy involved Esther Johnson, who was much younger than him and whom he had mentored when she was a child. People close to Swift had different opinions regarding his relationship with Esther, some termed it an absurd rumor and some others claimed that the two were secretly married. Other women with whom Swift’s name was associated include Esther Vanhomorigh and Anne Long. However, this didn’t affect his writing career and the years that followed brought him a lot of success. Swift breathed his last on October 19, 1745, in Dublin. He was buried beside Esther Johnson as per his wishes.

A very popular book written by author Jonathan Swift is entitled ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. It was first published in 1726 and re-released by Penguin Classics in 2003. The book follows the adventures of the main character named Lemuel Gulliver and is set in fictional places knows as Lilliput and Brobdingnag. At the book’s start, it is described the Lemuel Gulliver’s ship gets wrecked and he drifts in the open sea for many days. One day, he wakes up to discover that he has landed on the shore of Lilliput. Lemuel finds that the island is inhabited by small people. The people of Lilliput become astonished to see a man so much big in height for the first time. Lemuel goes on to share several adventures with the little people of Lilliput. He encounters Brobdingnag’s crude giants as well as the brutish Yahoos. These experiences bring him close to the Liliputans and also give him new insights into the behavior of humans. This savage satire of author Swift views the mankind differently and provides them the uncompromising reflection of themselves.

Another excellent satire prose penned by Swift is called ‘A Modest Proposal’. This book was initially released in 1729 and was re-published in 2008 by the Book Jungle publication. Author Swift has written this essay as a Juvenalian satire. In the essay, he has suggested that the impoverished people of Ireland should sell their children rich ladies and gentlemen as food. This way, they can ease the economic troubles faced by them. Swift has mocked the British officials’ authority through this essay. The prose is included in numerous literature programs to depict the satire of the early modern western era. It is also seen as a good example of the use and concept of argumentative language. Other than the English studies, this essay is included in many global and comparative history and literature courses and also in the disciplines of humanities, social sciences, and arts. It helped author Swift to establish himself as a popular name for writing satires on the social issues. His satires reached out to all corners of the world where Swift is seen as an inspirational figure today and one of the pioneers of the modern day literature.