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1、Jonathan Swift,an Anglo-Irish satirist. one of the greatest masters of English prose. one of the most impassioned satirists of human folly and pretension.,Life Experience,1667,born in Dublin, Ireland. 1681-88,educated at Trinity College in Dublin. 1688,secretary of Sir William Temple. 1697, The Batt
2、le of the Books 1704, Tale of a Tub.,1710, a member of the more conservative Tory party. 1713,appointed dean of Saint Patricks Cathedral in Dublin. 1726, Gullivers Travels. 1745, died after a period of mental decay.,Major Works,Tale of a Tub A parable: a simple story illustrating a moral or religiou
3、s lesson. Three sons: Peter Roman Catholic Church Martin Church of England John the dissenters/ Puritans.,A Modest Proposal,Form: political pamphlet. Proposal: the poverty of the Irish people should be relieved by the sale of their children as food for the rich. Thesis: a most heartbreaking piece of
4、 sarcasm that fiery indignation has given and a most powerful blow at the English governments policy of exploitation and oppression in Ireland.,I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nouri
5、shing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.,A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and se
6、asoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.,I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.,I profess, in t
7、he sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children
8、by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.,Gullivers Travels,Plot Overview: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Flying Island & Houyhnhnm Character Analysis Gulliver- The narrator and protagonist of the story. Though he is intelligent and well
9、 educated, his perceptions are nave and gullible. He has virtually no emotional life, or at least no awareness of it, and his comments are strictly factual. And it is his navet makes the satire possible.,Houyhnhnms- Rational horses who maintain a simple, peaceful society governed by reason and truth
10、fulness. They live in a sort of socialist republic, with the needs of the community put before individual desires. They are the masters of the Yahoos.,Style,“Proper words in proper places, makes the true definition of a style.” Satire consists of a mocking attack against vices, stupidities, and foll
11、ies, with an aim to educate, edify, improve. Allegory: A literary, dramatic, or pictorial device in which characters and events stand for abstract ideas, principles, or forces, so that the literal sense has or suggests a parallel, deeper symbolic sense. Irony is when the intended meaning of a statement or an action is opposite to that which is presented. Language: discreet, simple, precise.,
